The Right Side of Wrong
by Bookquoting-machine
Summary: The children of villains were bound to be messed up as it was. What's a little more trauma? A darker, crueler take on the Disney movie "Descendants 2". How does anyone get better when they spend their time worrying about others? Sequel to my D1 rewrite "Call Me A Freak"
1. W-I-C-K-E-D

_I blinked, attempting to register my surroundings. It was just too dark. I could make out the low fog settled around my feet as I stumbled forward. It almost glowed, a light blue-ish, green-ish color._

_There were murmurs up ahead. People._

_In my hazy determination to find them, I ran directly into something. The top half of my body fell forward, catching myself on the edges of the cauldron._

_The steam that emanated from it blurred my vision as I pushed myself away from it. The water inside bubbled and boiled, the same sickly color as the fog around me. As I rubbed my eyes, I approached once more, getting a better look inside._

_Bobbing across the top, were dozens of ripe, red apples._

"_W-" I could hear someone whisper in the distance. "I-C-"_

_I turned on my heel, but the sound came from everywhere, surrounding me._

"_K-"_

_I tried to run away from the cauldron, but the minute I was around one, I ran into another._

"_E-D."_

_I kept running, doing my best to dodge cauldrons and skip over the fallen apples that littered the floor. In a blink, I found myself running through the halls of Auradon Prep._

_They were empty. Along the way, a few apples were discarded on the ground, all with single bites in them._

_Across the lockers that lined the school, in large purple letters, were the words: LONG LIVE EVIL._

_That was my work. It had to be. And my paint._

"_Mother always knows best," the quiet voice came back._

_I dashed out of the hallway and down the stairs towards the front of the school._

_It was too empty. Too quiet. And too messy._

"_Show her. Pass every test."_

_The entrance to the school was a mess. Apples and papers everywhere. The Beast statue was defaced with spray paint._

"_Hear her voice in your head."_

_And flying high over the school was a new flag. An old design which I had long since discarded. A silhouette of my mother, the words 'Long Live Evil' in green on a purple background._

"_Evil is the only real way to win," the voice beckoned me._

* * *

My hands were holding me up, pressed against the Beast statue at the front of Auradon Prep.

I noticed multiple familiar faces within the crowd of paparazzi. _Hadn't they learned their lesson? Hadn't any of them?_

I had been known to shriek, break down, and run off while on camera. A result of sensory overload most often, but it could also be triggered by… uncomfortable questions.

All of my friends had become experts in the art of avoiding paparazzi specifically for this reason. They knew I was still healing and god was it hard to heal when you were _also _the girlfriend of the king.

So, sometimes, when I needed to be by myself, I wandered alone and that's almost always where they found me. Photographers and interviewers all desperately looking for a brief word right when I needed space.

They weren't the best on timing.

"Only three days to the Royal Cotillion!" a young woman exclaimed, shoving a mic at my face. I wasn't exactly sure what she wanted me to say in response to that, so I nodded, smiling tightly.

"Ever think that a girl like you would be a Lady of the Court?"

I blinked, temporarily blinded by a particularly close shot at my face.

"How do you feel being the most envied girl in Auradon?"

I scoffed, but was bombarded with more questions.

"Okay! All right!" I could hear Ben exclaim, pushing his way through the crowd towards me. I sighed in relief, glad to know that someone would be able to get me out of there. "Excuse me."

He held a half eaten apple in his hand, which looked suspiciously similar to the ones in my dream. That had been a common occurrence recently: deja vu.

He wrapped an arm around me the minute he reached me. He had on one of his signature blue suits with a gold handkerchief. I quickly turned into his shoulder to regain my composure while the crowd turned on him.

"Did you ever think you'd be with a Villain Kid?"

Ben and I both whipped around to look at the woman who had asked. I bit down tightly on the inside of my cheek as Ben chuckled next to me. Multiple people had gone silent, waving mics in Ben's face to pick up his answer.

"We're done here," he responded politely, grabbing me from the opposite shoulder and leading me away from the cameras.

In a whirl, with perfect timing, as always, Fairy Godmother took command of the cameras, preventing them from following the two of us as we left and asking them to make their exit.

"You feeling alright?" he automatically asked, running a hand over my back.

"Fine," I said, quickly. "A little overwhelmed, but I'll be alright."

"You sure?"

I nodded. "It gets frustrating at times. Sometimes I wonder if they say some of those things just to get a reaction out of me. They want to watch me break and be the _villain _my mother was."

"Don't pay any attention to them."

"Well, that's a lot easier said than done, right?"

"I know, I know," he sighed. "You know, maybe we should do something. We should go somewhere. Get away."

While I appreciated the suggestion, I was so tired that when I thought of getting away, that included getting away from Ben. I wanted to just have some time to myself again. Some _privacy _again. I hadn't seen a moment alone practically since I had gotten off the island.

"Yeah," I replied halfheartedly, but he didn't even seem to notice, distracted by his own watch.

"I have a council meeting. I'm so late!" His face pinched in stress. I knew he didn't want to leave me here, especially after just promising some time to ourselves, but he had responsibilities.

"That's okay," I told him. I had gotten really good at pretending like things were totally fine, the Auradon way. On the Isle, if I was upset, I would hide it underneath my anger, but here I had to smile and act like a feather when bricks were weighing me down.

"We'll do it sometime!" He promised, leaning down to kiss my cheek, but he hadn't made contact before someone else was dragging me away.

"If we don't do a fitting for your gown right this minute, you'll be dancing in your bathrobe, okay?" Evie insisted.

Turns out everyone was stressed, because Evie was never so forward unless something needed to be done. In fact, she was rather efficient nowadays, but all that meant was piling on more work than she needed because she could power through it.

"Hi!" She smiled at Ben, sort of an apology for stealing me away, but if I knew Evie, she was well aware that Ben had stuff to do anyways. "Let's go. Let's go!" she sang to me, dragging me towards the dorms.

"Bye, Ben!" I called.

"Bye."

I stumbled after her, trying to keep up in my heels. Evie was so well adapted to the formal, princess life (mostly because her mother had been teaching her she was royalty since she was a girl) that I looked like peasantry in her presence.

Once we had made it to the dorm rooms, she pulled down the pieces she had made of my dress and had me start fitting sections on.

It was yellow, with blue sequins and accents across the top and down the skirt. Evie had chosen it so that I would match Ben and fit the "Beauty and the Beast" aesthetic of all the events.

Evie began the process of pinning and marking the edges of the dress to be hemmed, where she would close up the back of the dress and tighten the waist. I stood still, my thoughts drifting, as they normally did when Evie forced me up onto her dress stand.

The dress was huge. I couldn't imagine getting out the door, much less dancing for hours in it. Evie was fairly accommodating to my needs when it came to her designs, but there was also a certain standard that my outfits were expected to meet. I couldn't just wear anything to a ball like this. Eyes would be on me at all times and I had to look traditional. I had to fit in. The people of Auradon were just jumping for an excuse to make me look bad.

Evie pulled me from my thoughts as she forced my shoulders back, so that the dress would fit me correctly.

I squealed a moment, in shock, but I was cut off when Evie pulled the corset together in back and pinned it there, squeezing my rib cage uncomfortably.

"Okay, Evie? I cannot breathe."

She stepped around me, going back to her work table. "Well then, you can breathe after Cotillion." I glared at her and she shrugged. "It won't stay up unless it's tight, M."

"I sincerely doubt that I'll ever be allowed to breathe again," I grumbled. "I have at least twenty events directly behind it and I can't remember what a single one of them is."

Evie walked around me, pulling out the bottom of the dress to get a good look at it in full.

"Impeccable," she smiled to herself.

I was glad Evie was getting some sort of satisfaction for her work. I mean, she was constantly designing and sewing dresses now and they always turned out amazing. Everyone was thrilled with her efforts and she was getting paid.

Not to mention, despite all the stress it caused her, especially right now, with the Cotillion so close, she was happy. She loved making dresses for others. It brought her peace and made her feel like she was doing some good for others. And she got to hang out with her new boyfriend, Doug, as she worked.

My eyes drifted away and I noticed my old leather jacket on the coat rack by the door.

I'm not sure why I kept it. I didn't wear it anymore. Frankly, I couldn't. My outfits nowadays were kind of expected to reach a level of sophistication. But the two green dragons, twisted into a heart, left a familiar sense of calm.

"Evie?"

"Hm?"

"Do you ever think about what we'd be doing if we were back on the Isle right now?"

I regretted the words the minute they left my mouth.

These dreams I'd been having were unsettling to me. I had read up on reoccuring dreams and how it's believed they are predicting something. And that terrified me. Not just the empty school and the vandalism and apples, but the fact that my mother was somehow involved in all of it.

"Why do you ask?" she said, seriously.

It was upsetting. Sometimes I felt like everything was going too fast and no one was giving me space. And then the minute I admitted this, I was being babied. My mother had died almost a year ago and still, no one dared mention her name around me.

I just wish I had some time to truly find myself. Once we had abandoned the Isle, the four of us had basically lost any sense of identity we previously had. We were no longer the leader, the thief, the flirt, and the snake.

Evie and Jay had truly found their calling. Evie could practically make a living for herself at this point and Jay was looking into universities to continue playing Tourney at. And Carlos wasn't completely set yet, but he was relaxed, still messing around with different types of tech and looking after Dude.

I was just trying to survive.

"I'm fine," I replied, stepping down from the pedestal.

Evie didn't say anything, turning back towards her work table. I figured she was done at this point and was about to ask her to help me get the dress off when I saw a book on my nightstand, titled _The Lady's Manners_.

I gasped rushing over to grab it. I was supposed to run through all of this a week ago, but it had completely slipped my mind. Ben had given it to me to prepare for the Cotillion, seeing as it would be a massively covered event and his parents would be present.

Luckily, my spellbook was also on hand and I had the precise spell for this already marked. "_Read it fast, at lightning speed. Remember everything I need_," I recited.

Quickly, I transferred the spell on to the book of manners and began flipping through the pages, running my eyes down the lines to grab any information I could.

"I know Mal's secret to fitting in and Ben wouldn't like it one bit," Evie scolded beside me.

I sent a quick glare in her direction, then continued my skimming.

"Haven't you guys had enough secrets between the two of you already?"

I rolled my eyes. "What's the harm, E? These girls around school have had their whole lives to study and learn the ways of a 'lady'. I've had a couple of months. You saw how I was before I started to use magic and it wasn't good. I was a disaster. I was a shame to Ben and everything his family stands for."

"You were _recovering_," she insisted. "But now, you've been talking to therapists, you're getting your head back on your shoulders, and personally, I strongly believe that this spellbook-" she reached into my lap and took it from me, "-belongs in the museum along with my mirror."

"Well, it's hard to act like a person when no one treats you like one," I grumbled.

"What do you mean?"

I shrugged off the question, changing to subject. "You don't ever miss running wild?"

"Stealing, and lying, and fighting?"

"Yeah," I sighed. "Don't you miss the freedom of it all?"

"No!" she exclaimed. "M, why would we? Look at us! We're happy! We're in Auradon! Where is all of this coming from?"

I shook my head. "Nowhere. Just… wondering."

"If that's true," she answered, briefly squeezing my hand, "then can we please just leave the past in the past?"

I looked into Evie's eyes as she said that and deeply felt sorry for saying anything. Evie was doing her best to comfort me and make sure that I was alright, but she had some deep scars from the Isle herself. She didn't want to talk about it unless she had to.

So, I just nodded solemnly.


	2. Gifts

Following behind my friends on our way to class, I had my binder clutched to my chest. I was staring down at their feet thinking about not stepping on their heels as I walked, barely listening to the conversation they were having about the Royal Cotillion.

I had had another dream the night before, this time seeing Carlos in the halls with me.

"_Looks like this place could use a little misbehavior," he was saying, carrying a bucket full of apples. He wrapped an arm around me as he went, a dark look in his eyes._

I don't want to go with him_, I told myself, but my legs didn't stop themselves. My dream-self didn't resist at all._

I almost ran directly into Jay, as the group slowed.

"If you were going to ask someone," Carlos was asking, "what's the best way to go?"

"Listen, all you gotta do… is look like me," Jay joked.

"Oh ha, ha," Carlos replied sarcastically.

"Mal!" someone called.

I glanced up to find the daughter of the headmistress herself, Jane, skipping towards us.

"Hey, Jane," Carlos said with a smile, finding himself directly in her path.

"Hey," she smiled.

"I was wondering… uh," Carlos tensed up suddenly and I caught on to what he was trying to do.

This was why he was talking to Jay about asking girls out. We all stood around, silently waiting to see if he would do it, but he chickened out.

"... if you liked the carrot cake last night?" he finished.

"I had the pumpkin pie," she giggled, confused by the question.

"Oh, cool. Um-"

Jay dragged him away. "Smooth."

Lonnie joined the group the minute the boys were gone, so Evie quickly said, "I have an opening for a fitting at 3, who wants it?"

"Me!" Lonnie shouted before Jane could open her mouth. "Sorry."

"Perfect," Evie said, then began to take Lonnie away to speak about her dress. "I'll take you later," she assured Jane.

"Mal," Jane started again, finally getting my full attention. "I hate to keep bugging you, but the decorating committee needs more answers. So, as much as I hate to… you know, um..."

"Bug me?" I asked, repeating her words from before.

"Right."

"Yeah, Jane? I would love to I just have to get to class," I informed her.

"You know what?" she continued, stopping me. "Just nod if you like it."

She opened her tablet and put it basically underneath my nose to assure that I could see it.

"Chair swags. Entry banner. Twinkle lights-" she was flipping through pictures so fast I was getting anxiety just by watching all the decision I had to make fly past me. "-Napkin design. Table bunting. And you still haven't picked the party favors yet-

"Honestly, Jane, whatever you think-" I tried to get her off my back, but it wasn't working.

"I mean, we can do chains, key charms, pen toppers- I kinda _love _the pen toppers, but I mean, we can do all three-"

I could hear my breaths rising in pitch and my eyes began to flash green uncontrollably. It took a few moments for me to calm down again, every muscle in my arms tense to keep me in place. I always had an insane rush of adrenaline when I got really panicky like this. It was something I had been talking to my therapist about as part of my anger management.

There wasn't much I could do when I got like this except take deep breaths and bury my feelings. I wanted to hit something a good ninety percent of the time now. I always just needed to get _something _out of my system.

Jane was staring at me, highly concerned and Evie and Lonnie were slowly making their way over as well.

"I say pen toppers," I blurted out, not wanting to discuss what had just happened.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"You won't regret it," Jane replied, excitedly.

"I can hardly wait to see what your wedding will look like," Lonnie exclaimed.

"What?" I asked, only half listening.

_Wedding? What wedding?_

"The Royal Cotillion is like getting engaged, to be engaged, to be engaged," Jane explained, which only complicated things for me more.

"I knew it!" Evie squealed.

_Hold up._ They thought I was going to marry Ben? Marriage was barely even a thing from where I was from! And now they were planning to ship me off with the guy I had been dating, or even known, for less than a year?

"Well, everyone knows it," Lonnie laughed.

"I didn't know it!" I interrupted. "How come nobody told me that? Is my entire life just planned out in front of me and nobody-"

"Hi Mal," Ben interrupted, reaching around me.

His touch sent a shock through me and I leapt away from him, covering my gasp.

"Woah! Is everything alright?"

I wanted to cry. My heart was getting faster and faster and every minute more people were looking at me, concerned.

"Yes," I replied, but it was muffled underneath my hand. "I'm going to be late for class."

And with that I ran off, dodging people as I went down the stairs towards my next class.

* * *

I had heard from a lot of kids at Auradon that your senior year was supposed to be your easiest year at school, but so far this had proven to be untrue.

I was rushing through this week. I found myself running to all my classes, trying to meet the requirements I needed to graduate on time, and keep up with my royal responsibilities.

I had gotten good at avoiding people as I ran down the hallway to my locker after homeroom on Wednesdays. It was my most stressful day. I had three different classes, all within 5 minutes of each other, and they were an hour and a half each. I often found myself missing out on a quick lunch just so that I had all my books with me for chemistry.

I threw open my locker, and dropped my backpack at the bottom.

"Hi Mal," Ben spoke up from my right.

I jumped. He really hadn't learned not to sneak up on me yet. "Hi."

"I have a little surprise for you," he smiled.

"Again? Wow," I mumbled to myself. "That's like everyday now."

"Every other day," he corrected, which didn't make me feel any better. "The even dates. Because you're _even _more perfect than I thought."

I laughed, sarcastically saying, "That is me. I am perfect."

He seemed to pick up on my hesitance. "Come on. Let me spoil you," he insisted, hanging off my locker door. "You didn't have a lot growing up."

I rolled my eyes, turning back into my locker. "I managed."

He put a hand on my shoulder, pulling me back to face him. "I know you did. But you didn't have to. And I want to make up for that."

I shook my head. "That's not your responsibility to me."

"Hey," he paused, looking into my locker. "Didn't you donate that to the museum?"

I glanced inside and sitting right in front of the shelf was my spellbook. In my panic, I slammed the locker shut.

"Is that still in there?" I asked, innocently, trying to distract him. "Um, I got to get to class. I really don't want to be late."

I tried to side step him, but he had my arm in a minute, pulling me in the other direction. "No. You come this way."

"Ben, seriously-"

"First off," he interrupted, then led me around the corner where a lavender colored motorcycle was parked, with a gold bow laid across the handlebars.

I gasped. "What?!" I shrieked.

He giggled next to me. "You like it?"

It was really nice. It must have cost so much, not that Ben couldn't afford it. "Ben… This is amazing! It's purple."

I walked over, feeling the seat. It was truly a beautiful ride.

"I didn't get you anything," I admitted.

"You're taking me on a picnic with all my favorite foods, remember?"

I shrugged. "Yeah, but that's not until tomorrow."

"What? I thought you said Thursday."

"It's only Wednesday."

The corners of his eyes scrunched together as he laughed at me. "It's Thursday."

"No, it's not," I argued.

"Yes it is," he shot back, pulling out his phone to show me.

Sure enough, it was Thursday. My eyes widened. _How had I lost complete track of time like that?_ Good thing he had warned me, or else I would have ended up walking straight into the wrong literature class period.

"I knew that," I lied.

"I mean, if you don't have it, that's fine," he reassured me.

Of course I didn't have it ready. I had planned to make dishes that needed to be prepared hours in advance and I didn't have that time at all. I should have done this all yesterday, but of course yesterday I was caught up in memorizing more of my responsibilities, so it wouldn't be possible even if I had remembered.

"No, no, no! I was fully messing with you. I knew it was Thursday. I just have one more thing to go bake and then I am all yours."

"Well, what about class?" he asked.

Now that I realized it wasn't Wednesday, I didn't have to run to class, but I couldn't tell Ben that, because then he would know I had been lying. So I just shrugged and said, "She multi tasks."

"She dabbles," Ben responded.

"She dabbles!" I called back, running to the dorms.

"You're the best!"

"That's me!"

I said it as cheerfully as possible, but of course, I was utterly terrified now. What was I going to do? This was the one thing that I had set up for Ben and I couldn't even do that. I couldn't even set a day aside to just make some food dishes and hang out with him for an hour or two.

Ben was under much more pressure than I was, I reminded myself. I went to less than half of his events. I wasn't making the big decisions he was. I was just the pretty piece on his arm. And still, I never saw him break down on camera or complain about being king.

He deserved so much more from me.

* * *

Later that afternoon I scurried back to my locker to grab my spellbook.

Guilt coursed through my body. Perhaps Evie was right. Maybe I had become too reliant on my magic to get me through life. But what else was I supposed to do in this situation? There was no time.

Besides, while I was in the kitchen, Carlos had asked me to make him something.


	3. The Real Me

"_Mal!_" the reporters shouted as I ran through the dorms.

I prayed that someone was in the boys' dorm because I needed to get out of there, and fast.

Even better, the door was unlocked, making it easy for me to slip inside and lock it.

I took in a deep breath, letting my head drop against the door for a moment. That was bad. Really bad. I was stressed enough about this dumb date with Ben and now the paparazzi knew where I was, trapping me inside this room.

"_Mal must be counting the days until the Royal Cotillion,_" the tv reported behind me. "_When she will officially become a Lady of the Court._"

I spun on my heel, rushing straight for the remote and fumbling to turn it off.

I dropped the remote, the edges of my vision turning a hazy green, just as they had when I spoke to Jane a few days ago. My breathing was ragged and I blinked rapidly.

"Woah," Carlos said, jumping up from his bed to get to me. "Easy girl!"

"What?" I screeched. "You think this is so _easy?_ You don't have people taking a photo of you everytime you open your mouth!"

I didn't mean to have an outburst on Carlos, but it was getting harder and harder to control myself. There was no way I could take this for much longer.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, stepping back from me.

"I didn't mean to… Carlos," I started. It hadn't worked with Evie, but maybe Carlos would understand my frustration. "Don't you ever miss screaming at people and just making them run away from you?"

He scoffed. "You're thinking of my mother. And I was usually on the other end of that. So, not really. No."

I turned away, sitting down at his table. I was just going crazy. I had to be.

Why would I ever want to go back to the Isle? That place was dirty. It was full of awful people and awful memories. What could stand to draw me there?

And why did I still want to go despite having no reason to?

"Is everything okay, Mal?" Carlos asked, sitting beside me.

"Yes!" I cried, losing my calm again. "Why does everyone keep asking me that?"

I took a hard bite out of my right cheek. No one is going to take me seriously if I kept answering questions like I was close to tears.

"Sorry." I looked for excuses. "I'm just stressed for the Cotillion and all."

Carlos smiled. "Are you kidding? You shouldn't be stressed! It's your big night, after all."

I thought about my words very carefully. "Yes, but first I've got to learn how to be a proper lady, and have a fitting gown, and choose the decorations, and I feel like I don't have time for any of it."

Carlos put his hand over mine. "Mal, you can't put their expectations of you above your own. Your happiness comes before their satisfaction with you, alright?"

Those words sent a deep pang through my heart. I wanted to listen to him so bad. I wanted to forget about it all and just be the me that I used to be. The one who walked through the Isle without a care as to where I had to be or how I had to look. Because when I was there, wearing fancy dresses didn't make me the leader. It was just that look in my eye. And my mother, of course.

"Oh!" he exclaimed. "Did you bring it?"

I sighed, reaching into my purse. "Yeah, um…"

I held out the little gummy that had resulted from my work in the kitchen today.

"So, this thing will make me say what I really feel to Jane?" he asked.

"Yeah," I confirmed. "I mean, this is a truth gummy, so take it or leave it."

"Perfect." He reached out, but I felt the need to say one more thing before giving it to him.

"Hold on, though. Are you sure that you want to be taking this? Because this is going to make you say the truth, all the time, no matter what. You better not have any secrets."

"I'll take my chances, I guess," he joked. "You said it will only last a few hours, right?"

I nodded.

"Great." He plucked it from my fingers and hesitantly chewed on it. "Oh god," he said, covering his mouth. "This is nasty."

"Here," I mumbled, grabbing some water from his bedside table.

He chugged that down and sighed in relief. "How come you can turn a love potion into a cookie, but the truth spell is a gross ass gummy?"

I chuckled quietly. "You good? You want to test it out?"

He shrugged. "Why not? Ask me something."

"Hm." I glanced around the room, before my eyes landed on the computer, discarded next to Dude. "What were you looking up before I walked in?"

"Therapists," he said, bluntly.

"Woah!" I cried, louder than I meant to. "Carlos! Is everything alright?"

"Sorry. I wasn't planning on telling you guys, because you've got your own stuff to deal with and it's silly, but I sort of felt… overwhelmed? You know? Not like you, obviously, learning to be a Lady of the Court and all, but I suddenly realized the world is nothing like what my mother told me and I've been scared and so I thought it would be easier to talk things out with someone who isn't also in pain and you've been going to therapy a lot too, so it isn't that strange, but of course I know that everyone's situation is different and I-"

"Carlos!" I interrupted. "You do _not _need to explain yourself to me. Or to any of them. We support you no matter what. We just want you to be happy."

He nodded. "Thanks, Mal."

I smiled. "Now I've got to go, before I miss my whole lunch with Ben and you should probably go find Jane before that spell wears off… Let's hope that Fairy Godmother got those photographers out of the building."

* * *

I already set up the tablecloth and dishes, so the minute I got to the pavillion all I had to do was put out the food.

I opened the basket and pulled out one object: a paper plate with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. This was set in front of Ben's seat.

I did a quick sweep of the area. There was nothing in sight and the world was silent with the exception of the crackle from the water and the miscellaneous sounds of the treeline.

My spellbook was the last thing to come out of the basket. It felt heavy, almost as if begging me not to use it. And god, did I want to listen to it.

"_Take this food, this lackluster feast. Make these plates fit for a beast._"

The sandwich disappeared, replacing it with food beyond compare. There was so much that it could feed three whole families on the Isle. And it was warm and clean. I couldn't have dreamed of feasting like this over a year ago.

I ran my fingers over each dish, assuring myself that it was all corporeal. The biggest tell would be if Ben reached for a cookie and his fingers went right through it. There was no way to cover that.

I tossed the spellbook back into my basket, planning on putting it underneath the table, but got distracted when I heard Ben calling out to me.

Always punctual.

* * *

"Would you like a hot hors d'oeuvre?" I offered, doing my best with the french pronunciation.

"Yes, please." He leaned forward, taking a bite out of it directly from my hand. It took a couple of seconds to chew it, before saying, "This is the best thing I've ever had."

"So, you like it?" I prompted.

It was silly. Of course he was going to like it. It was a magic feast. But I just wanted to make him happy. I wanted him to enjoy himself.

"I more than like it." He stood up, reaching past me for another. "I, uh, _so _like it."

I gave him a laugh, but the way he said that made me nervous. Was he going to say he loved it? And if so, why didn't he?

We hadn't used the word love since my mother died. It wasn't that strange to me at the time. We were just teenagers. Love didn't consume our lives and perhaps it was a bigger commitment than we were ready for.

… but he made eye contact with me before he hesitated. So, had he changed his mind about me in the past year? Was this no longer about the food?

"Beef ragout?" he asked, pointing to another dish.

"Yeah."

"This is amazing," he said, shoving some onto his plate.

"Did I surprise you?" I asked.

"Oh, yeah, you surprised me." He didn't look up from his meal as he ate. "This is every single dish Mrs. Potts made for my parents. What did it take you? Three days?"

_It should have,_ I thought to myself.

I clucked my tongue. "You know, don't even ask me."

He laughed along with me, slowing down and turning to a more serious tone. "Well, it means a lot that you stopped and did all this for me. Especially, with all the craziness you've been put through." He took my hand gently stroking my knuckles. Another wave of guilt washed over me. "I've missed you."

The moment was so sweet, I wanted to pull away. He was just too perfect and I was… me. I was a stumbling mess, pulling myself through Auradon by a rope attached to Ben and maybe one of these days instead of pulling me forward, I would pull him back.

"We don't get much time to be just us anymore."

"I know," I said softly.

I found my eyes wandering, wanting to soak in as much of the moment as possible. And at the corner of his mouth was a little bit of leftover food. Instinctively, I reached forward and wiped it away.

He laughed, realizing what had happened. "You can't take me anywhere, right?"

I giggled, recognizing the phrase from something I had said on our first date.

"Do you have a napkin or something?"

"I do!" I replied, cheerfully. "I packed some!"

I turned to my right, but the basket wasn't there. I had left it between the two of us.

I flipped around to find Ben pulling the spellbook out of the top.

"I can grab them!" I argued, but it was no use.

"What's this?"

He looked at me and I panicked. He was still smiling, slightly. He didn't realize what was going on yet, but he would. Ben was too smart.

"I actually threw that in there super last minute," I explained, watching him flip through pages, "in case it rained or-"

"Speed reading spell," he read aloud. _My bookmarked pages._ "Blonde hair spell."

"Ben seriously, it's not-"

"Cooking spell," he finished, seeing my most recent work.

My face dropped. What was I supposed to do? He had caught me in a lie I hadn't ever planned to be in. I didn't want this. _How could I do this to him?_

"And I was giving you props for fitting in so well," he snarled. "For doing your best."

He threw the book down on the table, frustrated.

"Ben I never meant for this to happen. I just got so caught up-"

"Don't lie-"

"It has been _so hard_ for me!"

"Yes!" He burst from his chair. "Some things are hard! Do you think learning to be king has been easy for me?"

"No!" I shouted back.

How could I let this happen? I was so caught up in my own problems. Why was I such a disaster? Why couldn't I just walk through everything like my friends were? Why couldn't I just adapt and _be happy for once?_

"I thought we were doing this together!"

"I want us to be doing this together!" I responded. "But Ben, I can't just keep-"

"You've been keeping secrets and lying to me!" he continued. "I thought we were done with that. This isn't the Isle of the Lost, Mal."

My heart shattered. Because maybe it wasn't, but I couldn't really tell the difference anymore. Both places felt like hell at this point.

A tear fell down my face and for once I didn't try to hide it. I didn't try to stop it. I didn't have the strength to anymore.

"Yeah," I replied through gritted teeth. "Believe me. I know that."

"Then, why are you doing this?" he demanded.

"Because!" My voice broke as I screamed it. My eyes had turned green, but I didn't care. I had let go of myself for a minute and now it was all out on the table. "I'm not one of those pretty pink princesses, Ben! And I'm _not _a Lady of the Court! I'm a villain. _A slimy, evil monster who you SHOULD HAVE LEFT ON THE ISLE!_"

"Woah, Mal," he began, but it was too late.

"Don't touch me!" I shrieked. "You say you want to be in this together, but you're going down a path that I can't follow!" My vision was a swirling, salty mix of green and blue. "Maybe Evie, and Jay, and Carlos can find themselves here and be happy, but obviously I can't. I tried so hard to be with you. To be the real me! But this isn't it, Ben! And maybe I can't change who I am!"

"Mal, where is this coming from?" he asked.

"I'm a big fake, okay?" My voice got softer. "All of this. All of me? It's fake. This dress is fake. This hair is fake. This food…" I reached across the table and reopened my spellbook. "_Take this food, this sumptuous meal. Turn it back to what is real._"

In a flash, all that was left where freshly cleaned empty platters and a single, sad looking pb&j.

"The real me is hiding in this tunnel in the back of my heart. The real me wants to scream, and run away, and be by myself. The real me wants to knock out every single one of those reporters who ambush me after school. The real me is whispering that I made a mistake by staying here and I should have just gone back to the Isle and let my mother kill me, because there is no true happiness. The real me is the scared, angry, tired girl that I was back on the Isle. That dumb sandwich," I said, pointing, "is more of the real me than this princess I pretend I am."

Slowly, all the anger slipped away. The green was replaced with fountains of water, pouring down my cheeks.

"So, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I can't get rid of all this… mess that my mother made me. Because I wanted to so bad."

I was running before I could register that I needed to get away. Of course Ben tried to call out to me and even run after me, but I was long gone.


	4. Pleasant Goodbyes and Warm Welcomes

I ran straight for the dorm rooms. I didn't know where else to go. Only one thought was running through my head: _I cracked._

I couldn't keep it together. Couldn't handle the pressures of being an Auradon girl… That was it.

I didn't breathe for the next hour. I couldn't. I could barely hiccup between sobs.

Lucky enough, Evie wasn't in the room when I got back. There was no way to hide from her in this state, and for some reason… I still didn't want her to know how upset I was. Maybe it was because I was sure she would be able to convince me to stay. And then I would end up in the same cycle again, wishing desperately to get away until I broke under all the pressure.

I threw on some pants and a plain tshirt. It wasn't very Isle-like, but I just needed to get onto the Isle undetected. After that, I would find something more suitable.

I packed up my bag with a few belongings and sat down with a pen and paper.

I debated who to write the letter to. There were some things that I needed all of them to know before I left. So, I figured, since Evie would be the first one to find it, I'd address it to her.

My writing was a scribbled mess, difficult to read even if I hadn't been crying. But I was able to get it all down on paper. I tried to tell myself that I was doing this for their good. They could all be so much happier. Ben especially…

My eyes slid down to the ring he had given me. I hadn't even taken it off since the whole fiasco with my mother. But I couldn't take it with me, no matter how much I wanted to. It wasn't mine anymore. I was giving Ben up and along with him went everything else.

It took me a few minutes to put it down, rolling it between my fingers. It was gorgeous, something so meaningful to our relationship that I never thought I'd be parted from it. But I couldn't waste time sitting here and pondering on a life where I could always wear this ring. That world was long lost.

As I stood and grabbed my stuff, the coat rack to the right of the door caught my attention again.

My old jacket still hadn't moved, the dragons sitting comfortably.

It burned that my mother had control over all of my old stuff, including this dumb jacket. If I stepped on the Isle wearing that, I would practically be waving a giant flag that said, "MALEFICENT'S BACK".

In my anger and my desire to wear something familiar back to my hometown, I threw the bag to the floor and grabbed the leather article once more. It had a faintly smoky set to it, something which helped clear my mind from the emotional afternoon. I laid it out across Evie's work table and grabbed some thread cutters.

It wasn't the best job I could have done. Threads hung down the back of the jacket and pieces of the dragon patch were torn as I ripped it off, but it felt so good.

I pulled the jacket over my arms and zipped it to the top.

Clearing the last of my sadness and worries from my eyes, I picked up the discarded bag and my motorcycle keys and left the room without so much as a look behind me.

* * *

Ben buried himself into his work. He was shaken from his argument with Mal earlier.

He shouldn't have freaked out on her, but he couldn't stop himself. He had done his best to be there for her for the past year, and she had been lying to him. She had been lying about using magic. Lying about doing her best. Lying about getting better…

Why hadn't she told him? If she was really upset, why didn't she just talk to him? He had made it clear that he would always support her, hadn't he?

"Deborah?" he called.

"Yes, Your Majesty?" she responded from the other side of the bluetooth.

"Can you ask Lumiere to call me regarding Cotillion?"

"Yes, sir."

"Thank you." He hung up and began to look over some paperwork from earlier that day, when he heard a soft knocking at the door.

"Ben?" Evie asked.

"Evie! Come on in!" he told her.

He took out his earpiece and stood up to greet her, but was met with an unexpected sight.

She spun around, shutting the door as fast as possible. When she turned to look at him, she had tear streaks running down her face. She scanned the room for others.

"What's wrong?" He dodged around his desk to rush up to his friend. "Do you want to sit down, or…?"

She shook her head, tilting her face back, as if that would make her reabsorb the tears. "No, Ben. It's just… Um, Mal…" She was breathing heavily.

"What about Mal?" he demanded, getting more concerned by the minute. "Is she okay?"

"She's gone back to the Isle."

He opened his mouth to speak, but the words knotted themselves in his throat. She went to the Isle? But… why?

Evie slowly forced a piece of paper into his hands. He glanced between her and the object she had just given him a couple times before realizing that he needed to read what's inside.

_Dear Evie, _it read. _I'm so sorry. I'm sorry to you, Jay, and Carlos, that I ever got you caught up in my mess. I know what my life and my mother have done to you three. The Isle was bad enough, but being tied into Maleficent in any degree meant you were doomed from the start and I was the tie that held you three there. I only hope the place has changed. Because, by the time you read this… that's where I'll be.-_

"Ben," Evie whispered, interrupting his reading. Holding up her hand, she presented him with another object. The class ring he had given Mal.

His hand shook as he reached for it. It was cold in his palm. She had taken it off a few hours ago. Most likely, right after their fight.

_-Tell Ben that I'm sorry too. I've had him caught up in this lie that I was his dream girl for too long, and I'm not. He'll find someone perfect for him. I know he will. But he is a king and I am a monster._

"This is my fault," he breathed out. "This is my fault! I-I blew it."

"Ben-" Evie's voice cracked as she spoke, too heartbroken to be able to comfort him.

"She'd been under so much pressure lately, and instead of being understanding, I just went all Beast on her."

"Ben, had she talked to you about this?" Evie questioned.

His heart felt like it would shrivel up in his chest. What was he supposed to do? He _needed _Mal. "We got in a fight. It was stupid, but I found out she had been lying to me about using magic and I was just so… upset. And I-"

"I look at this," Evie interrupted, pointing at the note that Ben had crumpled up his hand, "and all I can think is, _how did I miss this?_ She had been sending out signs all the time to me, and I-" Her voice broke off with a sob. "And I told her not to talk about it. I mean… how selfish can I be?"

"No, Evie. I'm the one who sent her over the edge today. This is on me… I have to go there and apologize," he realized. "I have to go there and- and beg her to come back!"

"Ben, you'll never find her-" He tried to argue with her, but Evie wouldn't let up. "The Isle is huge. Maybe not compared to Auradon, but it is set up specifically to be confusing and ugly and… you have to take me with you."

His neck could have snapped with the force he used to look at her. "Are-Are you sure?"

She nodded, although her face wasn't exactly screaming yes. "She's my best friend."

It took both of them a minute to settle in and come to terms with what they planned to do. But the minute Evie was certain that she was going, she was making plans.

"I haven't talked to either of the boys about this, yet," she explained. "I can only hope they'll agree to come with us, because there's safety in numbers and none of us are… too popular over there right now."

"Thank you."

"But let's get two things straight. The first being, I'm not going to force the boys, or anyone for that matter, to come with us. And neither are you. That place is an actual hell and I do not blame a single one of them for avoiding it. We have to be prepared to do this alone."

Ben nodded quickly. He was more than happy to hear her demands if it meant a better chance of getting Mal back.

"And you have to promise me I… _we _won't get stuck there again."

It broke Ben's heart to hear that. Those poor kids. They had lived an unspeakable life, one that he and the other students could never comprehend. And for so long, no one had even spared a thought for them.

"I promise," he told her, with his deepest sincerity.

She huffed. "Good. I'm going to tell the boys… do you want to keep the note for now?"

Ben looked down. The paper had become so squished in his hand that a section or two had ripped around the ring, which was sitting in the center of his palm.

"Yes," he responded, softly.

Evie gave him a look of support, then left so that he could process alone.

* * *

Nobody saw anything on the Isle. It was almost comforting to be back in a place where I wasn't under constant observation. But… it was weird. Because I could walk down a busy street and still feel utterly alone. I _was _utterly alone.

I knew what I would be giving up when I left Auradon. Or at least, I thought I did.

After I had parked my bike outside my old apartment and dropped off my stuff, I went wandering. There were a couple of things that needed to happen before I started making it known that I was back.

I pulled around a tight corner and found myself in front of _Lady Tremaine's Curl Up and Dye_.

I groaned, seeing the large "Closed Until MIDNIGHT" sign on the door. I had completely forgotten. I contemplated coming back later, but something came over me. If I could somehow avoid Tremaine, I wouldn't have to deal with any crowd inside which would be great, but there could only be one other person inside…

Dizzy's music was muffled in her headphones, but still loud enough that I could hear it from the doorway.

The shop looked as it always had. Steaming vats of colorful chemicals lined the walls. All highly toxic, but on the Isle, that was the least of your worries. There were dried splatters of paint and dye on the walls, floor, and chairs. Vibrant wigs hung in front of windows and all the mirrors were shattered.

Dizzy danced along to the cute dance-pop song she was listening to and swept up small segments of hair on the floor.

I paused, watching the preteen lost in the blissful peace. It didn't take her long, though to turn my direction and freeze.

"Mal!" she shrieked, pulling off her headphones. "Is Evie back, too?"

It hurt my heart to tell her no. Dizzy had been looking up to Evie since E first came into Lady Tremaine's when she was 12. They were both made of the same creative mold, just slightly different talents between them.

Dizzy's face dropped and I could start to feel the tension rising in the silence.

"I, um, forgot that you guys don't open until midnight."

She nodded, looking sort of solemnly at the floor. "Uh, Mal? What are you doing back here?"

I shrugged, wandering a bit. "Turns out princess life… not for me."

"Well, that's… I don't know how the others are going to take that."

"I know, I know. Everyone hates me because I ruined the chance to break the barrier and killed the Mistress of All Evil," I grumbled. "But hey! Hate can be a temporary state of mind. What are things like now that my mother isn't in charge?"

Dizzy bit down on her lip. "Okay? There's still… bad stuff."

"There will always be bad stuff," I noted, glumly.

"Yeah. There isn't really a set ruler. Just some big gangs who are dominating different sections of the Isle."

I quirked an eyebrow and she went on.

"The Evil Queen has got the north. She broke away the minute she heard that Maleficent was dead and began gaining territory. A lot of your mom's goons work for her now. I think Jafar followed her up there as well, but no one's heard from Cruella since that day. There's a rumor that she's dead, but I doubt it. If someone had killed her, they'd be using that to their advantage. Shan Yu has a bit of a following, but not enough conquer any territory for himself. And the pirate's around the bridge… they all belong to Uma."

"Uma?" I wrinkled my nose. I hadn't heard her name in a long, _long _time.

Uma was the daughter of Ursula, a "once was" sort of villain around these parts. When my mother was choosing her following, she sort of tossed Ursula aside as pointless. And the minute I realized we didn't need her mother's favor, I dropped Uma like a hot potato.

It wasn't anything against the girl. In some ways, I was glad that she was one less person my mother could torment. But oh boy was that hard for her to hear.

There was a time when half the Isle would call her Shrimpy, a nickname I had used when telling her that she couldn't be a part of my gang. Her and her mother were suddenly at the bottom of the island food chain. Her mom opened a restaurant which she worked in for years, doing dishes and serving passing pirates.

She made it clear to me that she would get her revenge on me someday. I was never much afraid of her, seeing as I was backed by some of the strongest people on the Isle, but Uma was strong. I could see that she was far more of a leader than I was. So, I didn't push her too far.

Then, about two and a half years ago, she sort of fell off my map. The most I heard of her was from Harry Hook or Gil, Gaston's son, because they were often her little lackey boys.

She stopped leaving the edge of the barrier. She seemingly stopped plotting any sort of revenge on me. And now she was back, over two years later, with a whole gang under her control.

"Figures," I muttered under my breath. "So, what is your deal? Has your grandmother given you any customers yet?"

She shrugged, glad to drop the topic. "Ah, just a witch here and there. Mostly it's a lot of scrubbing and scouring and sweeping. Lots and lots of sweeping," she prompted, waving her broom back and forth.

"Sounds like the old Cinderella treatment, eh?" I joked.

"Yeah. She's gone from Wicked Stepmother to Wicked Grandmother."

Dizzy glanced at the ceiling, as if afraid Lady Tremaine would hear her. It brought me back to a time where I was living on my toes like that. Never saying anything bad about my mother, because she had ears everywhere.

"That's not really much of a switch," I said, solemnly. "Hey, Dizzy, you used to do Evie, right?"

"Yeah," she responded excitedly. "I thought of the little braids."

"You have any ideas for me?" I raised an eyebrow, as if taunting her to try and think something up.

Her eyes narrowed, tilting her head to get a look from different angles. Then, she stepped forward, confidence reading on her face.

"The washed-out blonde with purple tips? The best of no worlds. You can't see where your face ends and your hair begins!"

I chuckled. I could see why Evie liked the girl. I thought that Evie was just there for the attention, but so far, Dizzy had just been hitting me with the cold, hard truth. She was five feet of glitter and business.

She pulled me into one of the chairs and looked me over. "Hm. How far can I go?"

I clicked my tongue. "The works? I mean, whatever makes me feel like me, but, you know… way worse."

"Yay!" she squealed and ran to get her stuff.


	5. How To (Not) Be Yourself

"You almost done?"

Dizzy was extremely thorough, I would give her that. My hair had been cut, dyed, restyled, and cut some more. And despite having sat in the same chair for the past ten minutes, hair having long since been dried, she continued to comb through it and find small, uneven sections to fix.

"You're an interesting case," she told me. "I mean, I understand that whole not wanting to look '_Auradon' _anymore, but no matter how I adjust this, it's still… you."

She turned my chair around so I could get a look in one of the fragmented mirrors.

It was cute. A lighter purple than I normally would have gone for, but it wasn't unappealing. My hair had been straightened, with flat bangs across my forehead and a blunt end just below my armpits.

But Dizzy was right. I didn't scream 'Isle' just yet.

I stared into the mirror a minute longer. My features hardened, remembering my old life here. I left out a few details and just let myself be mean. I had to be on guard at all times, powerful.

"There I am," I muttered, finally starting to see some of the old me in my face.

"Well, viola!" Dizzy exclaimed.

"Viola," I repeated, leaning back.

I took a moment to look at Dizzy's face. I appreciated it, but this was the Isle. "Thank you" wasn't in Dizzy's vocabulary and I now had to rebuild my reputation. There was no room for charity acts.

I pulled out a few dollars from my pocket and handed them to her as payment.

"For me?" she asked, excitedly.

"Yeah. You earned it."

She giggled, taking the money, as little as it was, and running over to the cash register, but she didn't even get there before it was snagged.

"Fork it over, you runt," a boy with a thick accent said, the sound of the door closing behind him following.

I turned and watched Harry Hook snatch the money from Dizzy, running his fingers over it. Without looking up, he tapped the register with his hook.

"Now, the rest of it."

Dizzy's face dropped, walking around the desk to pull out the rest of the money and hand it to Harry. I knew why she was upset. It wasn't about the money, it was the fact that her grandmother would come down at midnight, when the store opened, and find out.

"Still running errands for Uma?" I taunted him. "Or do you actually get to keep what you steal?"

Harry's jaw tightened when he heard my voice, eyes sliding up to meet my face. I smirked and he did the same.

"Well, well, well. What a nice surprise."

"Hi, Harry."

He sauntered over, always the flirt. "Just _wait _until Uma hears you're back. She's never going to give you back your old territory."

I waited until he was inches away, watching him look me over. It felt wrong. Not that anything would come from being near Harry. He liked to talk big, but he had no interest in seducing anyone.

But he was still too close. Too personal. There was none of that polite distance that I got on the other island.

"Well, that's okay. Because I will be _taking _it."

He dragged his hook through my hair, as if threatening me. "I could hurt you."

That was a step too far. My hand shot up and tightened around his wrist. He looked almost startled, as if he had forgotten what a terror I was before I left.

"Not without her permission, I bet." With my other hand, I reached across him to grab the money he had just taken from Dizzy and snag it with a wink. "Thank you so much."

His face dropped when I pocketed it, sucking in his cheeks and glaring. He pulled his left hand away from me and turned to go, but paused towards the door. In a sweep, he knocked all the loose items off the desk Dizzy was situated at. Then, he gave me a formal bow, a sort of mocking gesture, and left.

"Great," Dizzy grumbled. "More sweeping."

I took in a deep breath with my eyes closed. Then, I took out the cash I had just gotten off Harry and dropped it on Dizzy's desk. "Lock the door next time."

And I left without so much as a look behind me.

* * *

Ben struggled a bit too keep up with the rest of the group. The clothes that they had put together for him were unlike anything he'd had to wear before. They were a bit big on him, due to most of it coming from Jay's closet. He was used to having to wear uncomfortable suits, but they were always tailored to him and never had this many pieces.

"Jay!" he called, once the boy had reached the limo. He tossed the objects in his hand to the other boy. "Keys, remote."

Jay ran over to the drivers side, starting the car.

"Wait!" Evie said, stopping Ben when he reached the bottom of the stairs. He was already so anxious about leaving Auradon that he froze when she said that. But she simply reached up and pulled down the front of the beanie they had given him. "There."

They all filed in, Carlos sitting up front with Jay, and Evie and Ben piling in back.

"Okay, once we cross the bridge, park under the pier in the old garage. Got it?" Evie ordered.

Jay nodded, then started to pull away from the school.

As they drove, no one said a word. Ben could tell they were nervous. He was also afraid to step foot on the Isle, being the son of the people who had put them there in the first place.

But he was also a bit excited. You couldn't see much of the Isle from Auradon. And no matter how bad he had been told it was, he wished that he could really experience it. He wished he could picture the things that his friends talked about and understand what they went through a bit more.

He just wished he had been able to go under different circumstances.

Carlos cleared his throat as they drove across the bridge. "So, um, just so that you guys know, I'm currently under a truth spell-"

"What!?" Jay interrupted.

"I asked Mal to make it for me so that I could convince myself to ask out Jane. Anyway, just warning you all: don't ask me questions you don't want to know the answer to… Like, don't ask me if I'm excited to go back to the Isle, because the answer is a resounding 'No'. I'm literally terrified and I can't understand at all why Mal would ever want to-"

"It's okay, Carlos," Evie said, trying to break him from his ranting. "I'm sure Mal already regrets leaving. We'll get in and get out… Besides, no magic on the Isle. With any luck, that spell will wear off the minute we pass the barrier."

Ben watched this interaction go down, biting his bottom lip. He wished he didn't have to drag them all into this. But they were Mal's friends, too. They deserved to be there.

They all leapt out of the car as soon as Jay stopped it.

"Ben, help me with the tarp!" Carlos called. "Jay!"

They grabbed the giant beige cloth and threw it across the roof, over to Jay and Evie. As soon as it was lying flat, the two of them went back for a second one to lay across the back end.

"It's really weird being back here," Ben could hear Evie murmur.

"Like you said," Jay responded. "We'll get in and get out."

"Jay!" Carlos called again, throwing the second tarp towards them.

Ben watched Evie, carefully. She was normally such a bright personality. Even when she was upset, she had a sort of energy around her. But being here, she was emotionless and dull. Her eyes stared blankly as she situated the tarp with them.

Ben was distracted from the thought when he saw a large pipe tunnel. It echoed with voices on the other side. He was intrigued, it seemed to lead towards the edge of the barrier, but didn't reach it.

"Hey, what's in here?" he asked.

"Ben!" Carlos jumped forward, pulling him away from the opening.

"You don't want to know," Jay said, his tone serious.

"Hey, guys," Carlos stopped before they could walk deeper into the Isle, "let's keep it chill, alright? The last thing we need is our parents figuring out we're here."

Jay and Evie were quick to agree with him. Ben was startled. The thought of running into their parents hadn't even crossed his mind. Wouldn't they want to see them, just once? After all, they'd never gotten the chance to say goodbye.

But they had business written across their faces. They came here for Mal and Mal only.

It was dark once they reached the town. As they had described to Ben, it smelled thickly of smoke and he had to try to actively not cough or wheeze.

The streets were in the worst condition he'd ever seen. They were muddy and wet, with gum and trash lining the ground. Everything was extremely cramped. There was barely enough room for two people to walk side by side down this road. And the few people who were out were dressed in tatters. No one looked him in the eyes, he noticed, continuing his walk.

Most of the walls were covered with tarps, objects, or graffiti. It was like an obstacle course, trying not to knock anything over and figure out where the next street led.

He slowed down, noticing that Jay, Carlos, and Evie were no longer directly behind him. Once he reached a stop, the person walking behind him ran into his shoulder and stumbled past him.

The man growled, lunging at Ben. Luckily, Carlos had stepped in front of him and challenged the guy to come closer.

"Ben, stop," Evie growled, grabbing his arm. "Just stop."

"Why?"

"This isn't a parade, it's the Isle," she sneered.

"Keep your hands in your pockets or else people will steal things," Jay warned him.

"You either slouch or strut," Carlos insisted.

"And never, ever smile," Evie finished.

"Alright," Ben started. "Thank-"

"No! No 'thank yous' and drop the 'please', too. Just… chill."

Evie looked him up and down, face stern.

"You need to not be yourself. You draw attention when you act like that."

"Well, it's hard being what I'm not," he sighed.

"Here's the gist of it," Carlos started. "You have to act like you don't care about anything. Don't stare, _ever_. Watch your back. And try not to make any noise."

"Be invisible," Ben said, mostly to himself.

"Half the people out at this time on the Isle are looking for a target," Jay informed him. "Don't make yourself look like that target. If you look uncomfortable, they'll take advantage of you right away."

"Be invisible, but also like I belong," he added.

"And don't aggravate anyone unless you can fight for yourself," Evie told him. "Everyone hear will happily smash in your face if you get on their nerves even slightly.

"Don't draw attention to yourself, but don't act like you're avoiding attention. Don't act weak, but don't start fights. That's not confusing at all."

Jay patted him on the shoulder. "It doesn't need to make sense. It's just survival."

They kept walking, but had to stop short when someone walked right into the path. All the VKs went tense, seeing who it was, but Ben didn't notice and almost ran right into him, despite what they had just warned him about.

"Hey man!" the dude exclaimed, but he stopped short soon after. "Hey! Hey, I know you."

Ben turned to look at the others for help, but they were doing their best not to get noticed by the man in question.

"Uh, no," Ben stumbled over his words. "I don't know you either, man."

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, you do," he tried insisting. "Come on, man. Really? Huh? Dude, I'll give you a hint. My dad's quick, slick, and his neck… _is incredibly thick._"

Ben paused, knowing he had heard that one somewhere before. But in his moment of confusion, the boy in front of him glanced at a poster promoting the Royal Cotillion.

"Oh! You're King Ben!" he shouted.

"Okay, let's go." Evie dragged Ben off while he tried to argue, but it was no use.

"Yeah, you are! And look, there's Jay and Carlos and Evie! Hey guys!" His voice got quieter in the distance, but they knew he was still talking to them.

"Gil, son of Gaston," Jay told Ben. "Not the sharpest tool in the shed."

"Obviously just sharp enough to blow our cover here," Carlos snarled. "We need to move quickly."

After a couple more turns, Jay slowed and bent down to grab something. He came back up with a decent sized rock, chucking it over Ben's head at a warning sign that said, "DANGER: FLYING ROCKS"

Ben almost laughed at the irony. He watched the metal fence that covered the stairway to his left lift up and leave room for him.

"What is this?"

"When M turned fifteen, her mother made her move out. She lived up here for some time, only going back to the castle when her mother needed her. This is her apartment."

"And you're sure she'll be here?" he questioned Evie.

She gestured her chin to a spot underneath the stairway where the motorcycle Ben had given Mal was tied to a pole and for the most part covered by a tarp.

The three of them followed him to the first step, then let him continue up by himself.

"Wish me luck," he said, quietly.

"All the way up," Jay informed him with a nod.

Ben turned and began his journey to the top of this building.

"Good luck!" Evie called, the door closing in front of her.


	6. Even Warmer Welcomes

I found it unnerving to be alone again. It was strange to spend so long in Auradon worrying about my loss of privacy only to get back here and have no one to talk to.

_I chose this_, I reminded myself.

My eyes drifted over everything I had painted across the walls. It was weird, seeing all of my old work, now that I wasn't nearly as passionate for art as I used to be. I would draw doodles occasionally, but I hadn't opened up a can of spray paint since I decked out my locker so long ago, and that wasn't even there anymore.

There were quite a few cans left around. In my boredom, my eyes drifted over to a large blank wall. I had always wanted to leave at least one part of my apartment empty, for special purposes. It was somewhat silly at the time, because I never was struck with a lot of inspiration, I just… worked. But right now, I knew exactly what to put there.

* * *

I dropped my arms to my sides, for a quick break.

I had simply used stencils to write out "ROTTEN TO THE CORE" along the bottom of the painting. It contrasted with the rough sketches of my friends above it.

I took a step back to admire them as it dried. From left to right, it went Evie, Carlos, and Jay.

Although everything about them was… as I had meant for it to be, they still felt empty. The whole picture itself seemed as though it were missing something.

To satisfy myself, I began to go over the collar of Jay's shirt, fixing little details.

I was so deep in thought, I wasn't paying attention to the footsteps approaching from behind me. Just another testament to how much I had forgotten while in Auradon.

"At least I don't see a picture of me with horns and a pitchfork," said a chilling voice behind me.

I whipped around, my spray can pointed at eye level with Ben. He seemed to wait for me to drop it in recognition, but that moment never came.

"How did you get here?" I asked, accusingly.

"Mal, I'm so sorry about our fight." He tried to approach me, but I shook the bottle in his face, threateningly, and he paused once more. "It was all my fault. I-"

"_Ben_," I hissed. "How did you get here?"

Things were obviously not going the way he had planned for them to go, but at this point I was too angry to care.

"Evie, Jay and Carlos brought me-"

I scoffed. "Of course they did."

Why couldn't they understand that that chapter of my life was over? That I left _for them?_

I turned and threw the spray can as hard as I could at the floor. Ben flinched in the corner of my eye, but I couldn't care less in the moment.

"Mal?" he whispered, catching my attention once more. "Please come home."

I felt my breath hitch. God, why was it so hard to look at him like this? Why couldn't I just say goodbye and be done with it.

"Ben, I am home." My words were cold, but unconvincing. I knew that I couldn't reason with him. I couldn't make him understand what a mess my head was. But perhaps, if he were afraid of me, he'd change his mind about taking me back to Auradon.

"I, uh… like you're new hair." It was the dumbest thing he could have mentioned in the moment, but I could tell he was stalling. He needed time to convince me. "I brought the limo. It's a sweet ride."

All my original ideas of scaring him away vanished, just by listening to the pleading in his voice.

"I don't fit in, Ben," I warned him. "I really gave it my best shot. And if you think I can change, I think you're wrong."

"Then I'll change!" he quickly responded. "I'll skip school, have more fun. You know, I-I'll blow off some of my responsibilities."

"No, no!" I said, frustrated. "Don't you see? I'm such a terrible influence. It's only a matter of time before I do something so messed up that not only does the kingdom turn on me, but they turn on you!"

"Don't quit _us_, Mal!" he insisted.

He took a step forward and took my hands into his own. This was wrong. I was falling for it again. I was falling for all the good in the world and the kindness of a boy's face. But I already tried that and it didn't agree with me.

"The people love you."

Flipping my palm up, he dropped his class ring into my hand. I sighed and looked up to argue once more, but he cut me off.

"I love you."

I opened my mouth to say something. _Anything_. But my throat closed up.

He narrowed his eyes when he saw my hesitance. "Don't you love me?"

"I…" My lungs felt as if they were being crushed by the pressure at the bottom of the ocean. "I can't do this."

This was no longer about me. It hadn't been for a while. This was about Ben's happiness. Evie's and Jay's and Carlos's. Auradon's. And the pain that I caused them when I was around was much worse than how much it would hurt to let me go.

I put the ring back into Ben's hand and closed his fingers around it. Then, in a fit, I grabbed his arm and began to drag him out of my apartment and down the stairs.

"Mal, please!" he argued, but I didn't stop. I didn't look at him. I didn't cry.

"Mal?" I heard Jay ask softly, but he stopped when he saw me pulling Ben behind me like a prisoner.

All three of them stood silently at the bottom of the stairs, watching this go down. Once I reached the last step, I reached down, grabbed a piece of the fence, and threw it up, just enough to push Ben back under and out of my space.

Ben fell directly into Evie, both of them stumbling in surprise. The door began to close between us, but Jay rushed forward and grabbed it with his hands, preventing me from shutting them out.

"Mal," he grunted, pushing it back up, over his head. "What is wrong with you?"

"I'm doing this for you! For all of you!"

"The Isle? Really?"

I shook my head, disgust filling my face. "If you don't like it, you can go home. Back to your big castles and pretty flowers."

I took a step back, preparing myself for what I was about to do. It was risky, Jay was much stronger than me. But he wouldn't see this coming, would he?

In a flash, I kicked him square in the chest.

He landed on his ass, the door shutting between us once more and this time, no one stopped it. It hit the ground with a clash and I attached the lock I had for it to the ground.

"But please just go away," I begged.

I flipped around on my heel and stormed back up to my room, green clouding the edges of my eyes.

* * *

Ben watched Mal knock over Jay before turning away and walking down one of the nearby alleyways. He wasn't planning to go far, he just wanted to get away from all of this.

He didn't like this Mal. This violent, angry Mal who was determined not to listen to anyone but herself. This wasn't the Mal that he knew.

He hissed through his teeth. He wanted things to just go back to the way they were, but he knew that wouldn't happen. And if Mal was truly unhappy with her life, he didn't want her to keep lying about it, but this couldn't be _better_.

Ben paused, hearing footsteps approaching him from behind. He rubbed his face and turned to tell the others that they should all just go home, when he found himself face to face with Gil and another boy that he couldn't identify.

_Crap_.

He took in as much air as he could, preparing to scream, but the other kid was covering his mouth in a second. "Uh, uh, uh," he teased, in a thick accent. "We can't have you ruining our fun, now can we?"

Gil held Ben's hands behind his back while the other boy taped his mouth shut.

"Sorry, my king. It's nothing personal, just, uh… you're quite a valuable commodity. And I don't know if your little villain friends told you, but we like to steal nice things here." He turned to Gil. "Take him to Uma. I'll talk to the traitors."

"Will do, Harry."

* * *

"_Mal, it's Evie_." Her voice reverberated inside the small device I used to use as a sort-of doorbell. I could hear people speaking outside my house through it which was helpful, considering we didn't have phones on the Isle. "_Something has happened_."

They just couldn't take a hint, could they. I was frustrated, and suffocated, and they had been standing outside my door for the past few minutes.

I considered screaming back down at Evie to stop, but I got distracted by the sound of my window opening. I whipped around just in time to watch Jay slid in and shut the window once more.

"What the _fuck?!_ How did you get up here?"

I stormed over to him, but the minute he was inside, he was on his way to the door and down the stairs.

"I climbed up," he responded, nonchalantly.

"What are you doing?" I demanded, watching him run down to the ground level once more.

"I'm opening the door for Evie and Carlos. We need to talk!"

"I already said-"

"About Ben!" he interrupted. "He's been kidnapped."


	7. Your Happiness

"If you guys hadn't have brought him here, this never would have happened. _What were you thinking?!_" I scolded them, like disobedient children. The issue was, they weren't children. And they weren't going to take any condescendance from me.

"He was going to come with or without us!" Evie argued. "We just wanted to protect him!"

"Not to mention, that you just up and left for the Isle first!" Jay was pissed. I hadn't seen him so upset since our first family day at Auradon Prep.

"Oh, are you a toddler now? '_Mal ran away first!_' Stop pointing fingers!"

"I SWEAR-"

"Okay! Okay!" Carlos stepped between us. "What are we going to do?"

I glared at them. "'We,'" I gestured between the four of us, "aren't doing anything. This is between Uma and me. And she's a punk. And guess what? Now I have to go get him!"

"Woah, woah, woah," Carlos said. "You're still going to have to go through Harry Hook and his wharf rats."

"You're going to need us!" Jay tried, but I already made up my mind.

"Uma said to come alone. Besides, she's not out to kill me, or else she wouldn't have taken Ben. He's just a bargaining chip. Uma has set this up to make a deal."

"And when you don't agree to her deal?" Evie insisted. "What about then? They'll happily beat the shit out of you. Or _Ben_."

"Who says I'm going to disagree?"

I pushed past them, towards the door.

"M, you don't know what she's asking yet."

"What have I got to lose?!" I shouted back. "I don't have a family anymore. I don't have any status or dignity. You three can stand up for yourselves. And she already _has _Ben."

"Be careful!" I could hear Carlos yell down as I hit the street and made my way to the Chip Shoppe.

* * *

As I got closer to the edges of the Isle, I started to walk with a purpose. If anyone saw me now, I wanted them to see the daughter of Maleficent, on her way to destroy an enemy. Whatever happened it there, I wanted people to watch me go in with a purpose.

I threw the doors open, careful not to flinch as they slammed into the walls on either side.

"I'm back," I sung.

I wanted to throw up in my mouth. I sounded so much like my mother. Teasing the tormented and looking down on everyone.

"Loser," Uma called, grabbing my attention, "party of one. Right this way, please."

I watched Uma very carefully. She had definitely changed a lot, but then again, so had I. Her hair was so long I had to wonder how she got anything done with it. It was a teal blue, along with the rest of her outfit.

I stepped towards her and she stood her ground, glaring at me.

When I approached the table, she kicked an empty chair towards me, forcing my instincts to kick in and stop it before it ran into me. She giggled at my unease.

I relaxed at the table, trying not to let her get the better of me.

"Place still stinks," I jabbed.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she played, sarcastically. "We're down a butler today, princess."

"Where is he?" I demanded.

"You know, I've dreamed of this. You wanting something from me, and me watching you squirm like a worm on a hook."

She was stalling. Who knows what for, but I didn't care. Two could play at that game.

"I'm so flattered that you dream of me. I haven't given you a thought since I left."

That one pissed her off. She slammed her hands down on the table in front of me, then let out a frustrated sigh. "Obviously."

"Listen, if you have some kind of score to settle with me, game on. I see no need to bring Ben into this."

She chuckled. "It may be a little unnecessary, but, oh, it is so much fun. Besides, we're all villains here. We don't fight fair, now do we, Mal?"

I raised an eyebrow, knowing that she was trying to crawl under my skin. But the new me didn't flinch at a comment at that. I still flinched and fell and got angry, but under very different circumstances.

"Now, here's the deal-"

"Just like your mother, always a catch."

She sat down at the table and crossed her arms. "Bring me Fairy Godmother's wand, and Ben is free to go."

I hesitated. _What?_

"Why does everyone want the wand so badly? You can't _use it_ here."

"I don't plan on _using _it," she snarled. "I plan to break it."

_Oh no…_

"What?" she asked, watching my face drop. "You regretting bringing Ben along?"

If Uma broke the wand, she could break the barrier. Without using magic or anything. It was part of the reason the wand was protected so heavily. My mother never would have considered it, because she wanted to have that power, but Uma was out for something else. Uma just wanted off the Isle.

"If you want beasty boy back, bring the wand to my ship tomorrow at twelve noon… sharp." She stood up and began to walk away, but flipped around. "Oh, and if you blab… you can kiss your baby goodbye."

* * *

"There's no way we can give Uma the wand." Evie paced around my apartment. "If she breaks the barrier, the villains will destroy Auradon."

"If Uma doesn't get the wand, then Ben is toast, guys," Carlos argued.

"Well, we can't just give Uma, of all people, the magic wand."

"What else are we going to do?" Jay fired.

"Wait, you guys!" I interrupted. "Your 3D printer!"

"A phony wand," Carlos said, catching on.

"Well, the second Uma breaks it, she'll know it's fake," Evie argued.

"Not if we get Ben out fast enough. We need some sort of diversion."

"Smoke bombs!" Jay jumped up from his seat.

"That's perfect!" Evie exclaimed. "I can get the chemicals I need from Lady Tremaine's place. That could work!"

"Okay, Carlos, Jay? You meet us at Pirate's Bay, no later than noon. And you guys, losing? Not an option… Cause we're rotten…"

"To the core." I could see the corner of Evie's mouth turn up as she finished up the line with the boys.

"Let's do this," she smirked.

Jay suddenly cleared his throat as we all made our way to leave. "Carlos? Evie? Could you wait outside for us?"

I froze, anxiety rising in my chest. _Oh god. Now what did he want to talk about?_

The other two quietly agreed and began their descent from the room. I stood completely still, trying to look unamused with the time he was wasting.

"Mal, I thought we were past this."

I blinked. "Past what?"

"Past the whole '_I'm going to act all tough and okay when I'm not okay_' act."

"I _am _okay," I insisted. "Because we're going to get Ben back."

"Not now. In Auradon. If you aren't okay, then you come talk to me. That's how we promised it would be."

"That shouldn't sacrifice either of our happinesses."

"Sacrificing our happiness?" he asked, incredulously. "By talking to one another?"

"Yes! If I talked to you about this, you would be constantly worrying again. You have so much right now. You're happy in Auradon. You've got Tourney, and you're a flirt, and Evie and Carlos love to hang out with you-"

"And you don't?"

"-and I'm _not _happy. If I told you about this, Jay, you would try to convince me to stay. Everyone would have. So, yeah, I didn't tell you, because it would sacrifice both of our happinesses."

"You know why I would be worrying about you, if you told me? Why I would have tried to convince you to stay?" he burst, walking to me. "It's because I _care _about you, Mal. You've been my best friend since childhood. We've been through almost everything together! You _are _my happiness!"

I flinched at his words. Afraid to look in his eyes or say anything, I ended up staring at his shoes.

After a couple of beats, with no response from me, he walked back, pacing slightly.

"If we stay, you'll need to find room for me."

My eyes met his slowly. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged. "Well, if you insist on staying here, I guess it'll have to do. But your apartment's not huge. And I ain't gonna sleep on the couch."

"Jay, you can't-"

"Do you remember when we made the anti-love spell for Ben?"

I paused. "Yes?"

"I said, do what will make you happy. And you chose Auradon. You chose Ben… I said something else that night. Do you remember?"

I shook my head, silent.

"I said that Evie, Carlos, and I would follow you, no matter what you did. Because you finding happiness is what would make us happy. We wanted to be with you, Mal… Well, if this is your choice now, I'm staying."

My throat closed up, my eyes glazing over.

"Jay," I breathed. "I'm so lost."

I could hear him breathing from the other side of the room, but neither of us dared look at each other. I sniffled, not wanting to walk back down to the others with tear tracks down my face.

"Did you paint this one today?"

I turned to the large wall. My friends stared back, still not right.

"Yeah, but it's not done."

"Well, obviously not," he informed me. "_It needs you_."

He didn't look away from the painting. Not after I gasped. Not after I started crying. Not even after I walked over and wrapped my arms around him. He hugged me back, but the entire time, his eyes were locked on the three faces.


	8. Nothing Has to Change

Evie held up a finger, signalling that she wanted to surprise little Dizzy when we walked in.

I glanced around and found her hunched over a table in the back of the room. It was past closing and Lady Tremaine was no doubt back upstairs.

Evie tiptoed over, slowly leaning over Dizzy's left shoulder. The girl jumped, first in fear, but soon she realize who was beside her. "Evie? Evie, you came back!" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around the girl.

"Hi!" Evie smiled broadly.

It was sweet. I knew that both Evie and Dizzy had been through a lot in their time on the Isle. They were each other's optimistic side. And they both had dreamed of the day they would finally get to see Auradon.

"Is it all just like we imagined?" Dizzy demanded, pulling away from the hug. "Do they really have closets you can walk into? Have you been to a real swimming pool? What does ice cream taste like?"

"It's cold, and it's sweet, and if you eat it too fast, it gives you a headache," Evie explained, tapping the girl's temple.

"Really?"

Evie nodded, leaving Dizzy lost in the thought. It was weird to think that there was a time neither of us knew what ice cream tasted like either.

She gasped in realization. "I saved your sketchbook for you!"

"You did?"

Dizzy ran off to get it. Evie glanced up at me, looking close to tears. That book used to be her life, but because we had to leave the Isle so fast, she never got the chance to get it back from the young girl. She didn't even have time to say goodbye to Dizzy.

I glanced away when Dizzy came back with the giant book, placing it on the desk and insisting that Evie sit down. It was hard to watch Evie like this. She was so happy and so very sad at the same time. She missed the preteen with the wacky hair who would sit and talk to her about dreams for hours. Dizzy was basically her little sister.

I stepped away and grabbed a plastic bucket and some disposable gloves. I knew that it would take a minute for Evie to focus up and get to work with me, but I could at least start it.

As I approached some of the chemical vats, trying to remember which ones we needed, Dizzy said loudly, "I knew it! You can take the girl out of the Isle, but you can't take the Isle out of the girl!"

Evie went quiet.

* * *

"You got it?" Evie asked, before pouring something steamy and blue into one of the disposable gloves.

"I got it," I confirmed.

Evie was much better at the chemistry part of the operation, so I sort of just did what she asked and tied them all up.

"That's five smoke bombs," she let me know as I dropped this one in with the others.

"I think that's enough, right?"

She shrugged. "If it's not, then I doubt more smoke bombs will help anyway."

I sighed, picking up on what she was saying. Weapons. These were a diversion. But if something went wrong, we'd need bows and slingshots and swords. Not smoke bombs.

"M, how amazing would this look with my shredded tee and my heart purse?" She held up a small headband with red jewels on it. No doubt one of Dizzy's.

"Very amazing," I told her, not entirely sure what shirt she was talking about.

"Take it!" Dizzy insisted. "Take a bunch!"

"Oh, Dizzy!" Evie walked over to place the headband in her purse and Dizzy grabbed random accessories off her desk to give to her. "Oh my gosh. Thank you."

Dizzy dropped a handful of jewelry into Evie's bag, saying, "it would make me so happy to know that you were wearing something of mine in Auradon. Almost like me being there myself."

Evie pulled her in for a hug. "I really wish I could take you with me," she confided.

"At least one of us had her dream come true, right?"

That sent a blade right through both of our chests.

_Dizzy deserved so much more_, I thought. _And here I was. _I had had a life so many only dreamed of and I was running away from it. Running back to the Isle of all places. But maybe someone who deserved it more would take my place. Someone like Little Dizzy.

"E, we gotta go," I said, pulling her from her thoughts.

She blinked at me, almost in confusion, then nodded. "Okay."

We peeled our gloves off and waved goodbye. As we were leaving, Evie paused in the doorway and watched Dizzy flip through her old sketchbook.

"She's gonna be okay," I insisted.

"Yeah," Evie breathed out. "But she could be so much more."

I reached out and grabbed her hand, knowing that I couldn't do anything to make this better for her. "Let's go."

She soaked in Dizzy and the shop for what was possibly the last time, then followed me back to my apartment.

* * *

"You don't find it… scary? Being back here?"

I shook my head. As we walked, I glanced up, my eyes drifting between the rooftops. "My mother taught me that the only thing to be afraid of was her… and she's gone now. It's weird how different it is now. But this place is my home."

"I feel suffocated here," Evie told me. "When I stepped into Auradon, it was bright, and beautiful, and clear. This place is a dark maze that swallows people whole."

"Not if you don't let it," I insisted.

"You don't make any sense sometimes, Mal."

"Well, I'm traumatized," I joked.

She chuckled slightly. It was the first time I felt actually comfortable to talk about something like that with her. Sometimes I didn't want my past to become a difficult subject. And when you were on the Isle, nothing was a low blow. Nothing was a difficult subject.

"You know, I really thought that true love was what you and Ben had."

We slowed to a stop next to the stairs. I glanced at my shoes, unsure what to say.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Nah. I'm not coming back, Evie. I _can't_. I really tried to tell you."

"If you're staying, I'm staying, too."

_Ugh. My friends were too stubborn_. "No. Evie, you are an Auradon girl. And I am… and will always be… the girl from the Isle."

She looked away from me. Because she knew it was true. Evie couldn't possibly live on the Isle once more. Not after having her dream life in Auradon. She practically had a business, and friends, and a boyfriend, all waiting for her when she got back.

A tear slipped down her cheek. "I thought you were fine. Why did you have to hide this?"

I gave her hand a quick squeeze. "I didn't want to let you down. I was trying so hard to show everyone that I was going to be alright. Because you had worked so hard to make me feel welcome in Auradon."

"I won't stop you. But I… I'm going to miss you so much."

"Even though we've changed?" I asked.

"Nothing has to change," she assured me. "You're a part of me, M."

I grinned and she returned it through her tears.

"Let's go save Ben."


	9. Part of the Solution

Harry and Gil dragged Ben along by his bound arms. He had stopped resisting a while ago, so there wasn't really a point for them to both have a hold of him, but they did anyway.

Up ahead of them was the girl he had come to know as Uma, daughter of Ursula. She walked with a purpose, smirking at anyone who came to gawk at her new capture. King of Auradon. Who would've thought.

He recognized the clearing they had reached a moment later. It was underneath the bridge… where they had parked the limo.

He panicked for a minute, wondering if they planned to hijack the car. Maybe someone had swiped the remote from Jay and they were all going to get off the Isle. But after a minute he realized… the limo was gone.

_Had they left him?_ Ben wondered. _Jay? Carlos? Evie? Had they gone back to Auradon?_

… _Were they actually getting the wand?_

Uma hopped into the pipe tunnel that he had wondered about earlier and suddenly Ben definitely did _not _want to know where it led. But Harry and Gil pulled him along through the tunnel and onto a ship.

For the first time since he had gotten to the Isle, Ben could see the sun. It had been hours since he and the other VKs snuck away to get Mal. No doubt he was missing class at this point. Maybe someone had reported him and the others as missing? But would anyone think to check here?

His two guards began to reattach him to the mast of the ship.

Ben glanced around. Uma had wandered off the minute they reached the ship. A few miscellaneous crew members walked about the deck, but no one paid him much of a second glance.

Except for Harry. He obviously did not have much of an issue with boundaries, because the moment Ben's ropes were sturdy, he got right up in the king's face.

"Well, if it isn't King Ben all tied up and in a rut. I wish I could relish in this moment forever."

Ben grimaced, as Harry rubbed his hook underneath Ben's chin.

"How's it feel being a king now, eh?" He laughed, circling the mast like a vulture.

Ben took in a breath, trying not to let the boy bug him, when Uma approached once more and pulled him away. "Give it a rest, Harry. Give it a rest. We don't want damaged goods."

Ben raised an eyebrow as Uma walked past and sat down on the steps in front of him.

"You said that I could hook him!" Harry argued, baring his teeth.

"I _said_, at noon," she stressed.

Harry narrowed his eyes at the king, then held up a pocket watch in his face.

"20 more minutes," he threatened.

Ben glanced at it, then chuckled. "That says 11:30."

"You better hope your girlfriend comes through," Uma interrupted, not wanting Ben to set Harry off any more than he already had.

"Well, she's not my girlfriend anymore," Ben admitted, his eyes trained on Harry, who waltzed around to Uma's side.

The boy began to laugh and Uma's face broke out in a smile. "Leave us alone, Harry."

As the pirate walked past, he leaned in and whispered, "19 minutes to go, now."

"Go." Uma was obviously unfazed by Harry's flirtatious and unsettling manner.

When the boy was finally gone, Ben decided that maybe there were ways for him to get out of this. "I get that you don't deserve this," he sympathized.

"'This?" she asked. "This island is a prison thanks to your father. And don't pretend to look out for me. Because no one's looking out for me. It's just me."

"So this isn't your mom's plan?" he questioned.

She scoffed at him, pushing her hair from her face and he noticed something else.

"Isn't that her necklace?"

"My mom doesn't care about me, either. Well, not unless she needs someone for the night shift."

"Ouch," Ben responded. "I guess upstanding parenting is common on the Isle."

"I don't need your pity," she snapped. "No one here does."

"No, you certainly don't," Ben admitted. "You're very resourceful… I don't see you tied up."

"All right. So let's trash talk Mal," she offered.

Ben saw through her ploy. In his emotional vulnerability, she could get him to spill secrets. So, he shook his head. "I'd rather talk about you."

"Mm. Funny and a gentleman. I really hope I don't have to feed you to the fishes."

"Well, you don't," he tried. "Set me free. And we'll go back together."

"Oh, so now I get an invite," she exclaimed, approaching him. "Gee, I wonder why… When you brought Mal, Evie, Carlos, and Jay to Auradon, that's as mad as I've ever been in my life. And trust me, I've been plenty mad."

Ben didn't doubt it. Uma looked like a powerful being. So, he tried once more to convince her of his sincerity.

"I never thought of it like that before. That I could've hurt the people I didn't pick. My plan was to start with four kids and bring more people over. I guess I was busy being king- That sounds lame… I'm so sorry. You're a leader, Uma. So am I. Come to Auradon and be part of the solution!"

"Me?" she blinked. "Part of your solution?"

Ben waited quietly for her to indicate that she would let him go.

She leaned forward, quietly saying, "Nah. I don't need you. I'm gonna get there on my own."

She smiled at him and Ben found himself drawn to her presence. She was powerful, alright. He could understand why these people like Harry followed her so devotedly.

He knew that one day, Uma would get off the Isle. He could only hope that when it came she had good intentions.

* * *

Evie and I could just make out the limo as it rolled over the magic bridge. We stood silently for several minutes, waiting for the boys to roll up. When they finally did, though, instead of Carlos popping out of the passenger seat, it was Lonnie.

"I'll get the swords," Jay told her, jogging to the back of the car.

"Lonnie?" I demanded.

She rushed over, wrapping me up in a hug. "I made them bring me."

I pulled away from her. "Jay?! What happened to not telling anyone in Auradon?" I yelled at him.

"Welcome to the Isle," Evie greeted her. "It's good to see you."

Jay and Carlos strolled around the car, a large gym bag in tow. "I didn't tell her," he insisted. "But she did provide us with swords."

He pulled open the bag so I could see the gym practice swords. The Tourney team often sparred with them.

"I guess weapons are good," I grumbled. "But hide those. The fact that I'm walking in there with all of you is bad enough. If Uma sees us with swords, she'll flip." I turned to Carlos and held out my hand. "Let me see."

He dropped the wand replica into my palm.

"You guys are geniuses," I complimented. "It's perfect."

I handed it back to Carlos and he hid it inside his jacket. He knew as well as I did that you never walked into a deal waving the bargaining chips. Uma wouldn't expect me to just hand her the wand… I had to argue first.

"Here's the plan. I'll walk up ahead. Carlos, you follow me with the wand. The rest of you, stay back. Evie, you got the smoke bombs?"

She nodded, lifting up her purse for me to see.

"Great. Lonnie, you carry the swords. Don't open them until the Uma breaks the wand. She'll catch on otherwise. Jay…" I sighed. "Don't let me get too frustrated and compromise us."

He chuckled, knowing full well that I would beat the shit out of Uma if she dared do anything unwarranted to Ben.

"And finally, no one step onto the ship. We stay on the dock for the entirety of the fight."

Lonnie raised an eyebrow. "Ship?"

"That's where we're going," I told her. "Uma's pirate ship. It's her territory. If you step over there, you are giving her the upper hand and playing offense in the fight. We're not here to make a statement about Uma's soldiers or her leadership. We came to get Ben and leave."

"It's noon," Jay said.

"All right," I sighed. "Let's do this."


	10. It's Going Down

I turned on my heel and stepped into the tunnel. I could hear Lonnie gag behind me when she got inside. The smell was a bit overwhelming, but this wasn't the first time the rest of us had been to the docks. We'd just never been when Uma had any power.

As I jumped down and caught sight of Uma across the ship, I could hear Gil shout from his lookout. "Hey, guys! They're here!"

We all made our way to our respective places, Carlos standing close behind me. Harry and his pirate cronies used to torment him mercilessly before he joined my gang. This was probably a nerve wracking situation for him without the impending showdown.

"Welcome!" Harry's voice rose above the shouts. I caught his eye and found him pushing a dirty, restrained Ben across the ship and towards the plank.

"Finally!" Uma shouted.

She stepped up to the edge of her ship and I stopped at the edge of the dock, leaving only the wooden bridge between us.

"Let's get this party started, shall we?" Her crew members rushed up behind her to watch the scene go down. "I'm not here to negotiate with you, Mal. So ask yourself how long I'll remain patient before throwing him overboard. No doubt your boy can swim, but do you think he'll make it with his arms and legs tied together?"

Harry had placed Ben towards the end of the plank, standing beside him to mess with him. He'd wrap his arms around the boy and startle him, making him think that one of these times, Harry would just push him straight down.

"Let's all just be smart. Although, for you, that must be hard," I jabbed. "I'll give you the wand and no one gets hurt."

"Your time is running out," she sang, nodding once more at Ben.

I turned to look at my friends. They all kept their eyes on the enemies.

"Okay. Look, this is not a conversation. It's a do-or-die situation. If you don't give me back Ben, I will happily rip you to shreds right here, in front of your entire 'pirate crew'."

"So that's your big speech?" she laughed. "An empty ultimatum?"

Harry has stepped away from Ben to slide past Uma and approach me.

"You know, Mal, all it takes is one swing and he goes down," he taunted, stepping off the deck. I stood my ground, glaring at him. "Look at him up there. Poor helpless boy. I could debilitate him with a swipe of my sword."

I tried to keep myself under control while he pestered me, but out of nowhere, he grabbed my chin, forcing me to turn and look at Ben. My eyes lit up like light bulbs.

Harry laughed violently. "Is little Mal mad? All it takes is one wrong look and I'll-"

"Harry!" Uma called, noticing my anger escalating.

The boy dropped his hold on my face and turned to his captain. As soon as he let go, Jay grabbed my arm and pulled me back to the group before I could lunge at him.

Jay didn't say anything, he just looked me dead in the eyes until the light flickered out and my breathing got softer.

"We want the wand!" People on Uma's ship chanted.

I glanced at Carlos. "Now or never, huh?"

He hesitated slightly, then reached into his jacket and handed the replica to me.

The whole ship erupted into cheers as I turned and started towards the ship.

"Stop!" Ben yelled.

I froze, staring at the king. He was unsteady on his tied ankles, Harry looming over him once more. He didn't know it was a fake, yet, so he was probably panicking. But he knew he could trust me, right?

"Mal, there's gotta be a better way," he pleaded, then glanced back at the ship. "Uma, I promise I'll give you your chance."

I stared at Uma, not sure what Ben was talking about. She laughed at him, meeting me halfway to the dock. "Silly king. You're gonna give me a chance?" She shook her head. "Not a chance."

Ben's face dropped. I realized that maybe he didn't trust me. Not anymore. Not after I broke up with him. And maybe… maybe seeing what the Isle was really like had hardened him a bit.

We stood a few feet apart now. She held out a hand, "Give me the wand."

"Give me Ben!" I demanded. If she took the wand now, she could very easily break it and order Harry to knock Ben overboard. No, Ben had to be on the dock before Uma put her hands on the wand.

She thought about it for a moment, her eyes locked on me. "Harry, bring him over."

There was grumbling as Ben was pushed through the ship forced down to his knees next to Uma.

"Aw," she cooed, resting her arm over his head.

She reached out for the wand once more, but I still held it away from her reach, putting my hand out to Ben.

She sighed. "Cut him loose, Harry."

The boy glared at me. "I never get to have any fun." In a swift motion, he cut the ropes around Ben's wrists and ankles.

Ben grabbed ahold of my arm, but Uma still had a grip on him. She had done as she had promised. My turn.

I handed her the wand, then yanked Ban up and away from the ship.

I was hoping we'd get some distance before she attempted to break the wand, but Ben resisted leaving.

"Ben, go!" I told him, pushing him back, but he kept his eyes trained on Uma. "Go! Move!"

Everyone shouted on the ship. They eagerly waited for Uma to break the wand, jump in excitement. I glanced behind me, constantly checking that someone wasn't about to charge us.

Carlos leapt up to a higher level, grabbing the smoke bombs and a slingshot. Evie rushed down, trying to convince Ben to come with us. And Lonnie and Jay stood together, Lonnie's hand hovering over the gym bag. It was chaos.

Then, I heard it. Uma cracked the wand over her knee and the whole bay went silent, waiting for the barrier to flicker out and disappear. The silence was terrifying.

I blinked once… twice… My heartbeat was the only sound in my ears as they held out for a delayed reaction.

"No!" Uma shrieked, desperately.

"Ben!" I insisted, finally drawing him away from the edge as he realized it was a fake.

"You do not get to win every time!" she screamed as Ben and I bolted up the railing. "Get 'em!"

Lonnie held open the bag and Jay started throwing swords to each of us. Carlos shot a smoke bomb down to Uma's feet, the explosion blocking her crew from rushing us. He shot a second one up unto the crows nest, temporarily blinding the people standing up there and causing a few to fall or jump down.

I swung the blade around a few times, trying to get used to the weight, but I didn't have long.

The pirates who weren't coughing or blinded ran across the bridge and onto the dock with us. I stood at the end of the bridge, trying to stop as many from getting off the ship as possible, but a few swung across, going for the others.

As they rushed me, I parried their attacks and tried to knock them off balance. The wooden plank between ship and dock wasn't huge, so a swipe at their feet could easily send them straight into the water. A few of them were smarter than that, but a quick kick to the chest sent one of them flying backwards, hitting the person behind them and leaving me to face Uma herself.

I beckoned her closer, but there was really no need to. She screamed, running for me and swinging her sword around like a madman.

She was pissed, alright. I suspected that all she was seeing right now was red, which put me at a slight advantage. In any other situation, I'd imagine Uma to be more experienced with the sword, but so far she was playing all offense. Her moves were shaky at best, throwing her blade around violently.

We were still outmatched though. In small glances, I could make out Carlos holding off Gil, Ben rushing over to Evie, Lonnie trying to hold off two pirates alone, and Jay dropping Harry's hook into the water.

We needed to get out of there.

I ducked, trying to get Uma to swing low. She did after a try and I was able to catch her blade underneath my boot and slash open the back of her hand.

She fell back, giving me just enough time to kick her blade into the water and run to the others.

"Jay!" Carlos was yelling. "Go start the car!"

"We'll meet you guys there," Evie explained.

I tried pulling myself up to the top level, Uma close on my heels. She had taken Harry's sword as I'd been following my friends.

Carlos and Evie stood at the edges of the tunnel, trying to stop anyone from following Jay and Lonnie to the limo.

Ben was running towards them, just up ahead of me.

We had almost made it, when Uma swung at the back of my leg. I fell forward, turning onto my back and blocking her next attack.

"Carlos! Smoke bomb!" Evie screeched.

Uma pressed down, our intertwined swords just grazing my chest. "I'll kill you for this," she sneered. "You can go say hi to your mother."

Those words triggered something in me. My eyes flashed and suddenly, I threw her off like she was nothing but a feather.

She groaned, falling back onto her hands. She barely had time to lift up her sword before I lunged at her, screaming in a fury.

"Don't! Even! _Speak! _Of! My! Mother!" I got in a good swipe at her stomach, just grazing her skin.

The whole world went quiet except for my screams. I could barely see Uma through a veil of green.

I wouldn't have stopped attacking her, if it weren't for Evie and Ben grabbing my arms and dragging me away from the scene. I flailed wildly, wanting desperately to continue my fight, but Carlos threw a smoke bomb between us and they got me into the pipe tunnel. With a swift kick, Carlos knocked down the bridge that connected the dock to the mainland. It wouldn't keep them off forever, but it was what we needed to get out.

I stumbled along with them, coming back to my senses in a fit.

"Come on! Come on! Come on!" Lonnie chanted, opening the trunk of the car for us to put our swords down and then hop into the back.

I jumped in without even thinking, my body hitting the opposite side door and tensing against it.

I felt absolutely sick. _What had happened to me?_

My breathing was getting choppier by the minute. I unintentionally gasped as they car violently pulled away and we started on the drive back to Auradon.

"Mal?" Carlos said softly.

I glanced at him and he opened his arms, inviting me for a hug.

It was a bit awkward in the back of the limo, but I didn't care. He gently pat my hair as a sob escaped me. "I could have killed her, Carlos."

"I know," he replied.

"The back of your leg!" Ben reached down to get a look at the deep cut Uma had gotten in. I had barely noticed it, but it was bleeding profusely now. "Mal, I think you're gonna need stitches."

I sighed, settling in on the floor, not sure if I wanted to be next to Ben for the whole drive, given everything that had happened.

Evie held onto my hand as we crossed the bridge and started our way to Auradon Prep.

More tears escaped, but no one acknowledged them. I don't think anyone wanted to discuss my outburst at Pirate's Bay. Least of all, me.


	11. Girl Talk

My head felt like mush as we walked through the school. I was limping slightly, but no one seemed to notice. Evie had wrapped Ben's jacket around my calf to both lessen and hide the bleeding.

"Hey, Carlos?" I started. "Did you talk to Jane before you left to get me?"

"Talk to her?" he repeated. "Yes. Ask her out? No."

"What happened?" Evie questioned.

"Well, instead of asking, 'What did you need?' or 'What do you want to talk about?' when I first got there, like I expected… the first thing she said was, 'Do you think blue streamers or green streamers would look better at Cotillion?'... I spent five minutes talking about the pros and cons of each before somehow relating it to past struggles with my mom. She left about halfway through my rant about Cruella's obsession with specific kinds of fabrics."

Evie lost it, both her and Carlos catching up to Jay, when Ben and I were stopped by no other than Jane herself.

"Ben! There you are." She beckoned him over, so I paused, figuring that I could talk to him as soon as he cleared up whatever Jane was working on now. "The Cotillion is tonight."

She showed him something on her tablet, murmuring in excitement.

Ben glanced at me, solemnly, then leaned over and said, "Do you want to cancel?"

My eyes widened. It hadn't really crossed my mind. Once I had made the decision to go back to the Isle, I hadn't considered what would happen with that. It would probably just… not happen, but now everything was complicated. I was back and no one was sure whether I planned on staying, least of all myself. And I had basically broken up with Ben on the Isle. If we weren't dating anymore, there was no reason to name me a Lady of the Court.

"Um, you know what?" Jane said loudly. "I can come back. Um… but like, really _really _soon."

"No, no, no, no," Ben insisted. "No. Now's fine. Um…" He looked at the tablet once more. Then to me, he said, "Do whatever you need to do."

I was frustrated. I needed time to make my decision, but I didn't have that. I needed _Ben _around to make my decision, but apparently I didn't have that either.

I wanted to yell at him. I wanted to scream at him to just stop worrying about all of that and have a real conversation with me, but that wasn't fair. It wasn't fair to Jane and it wasn't fair to him, seeing as all I'd done recently was lie to him and avoid him.

Evie was the one who prevented me from saying all that, though, as she circled around and linked onto my arm.

"We need to talk," she whispered.

I followed her, somewhat mindlessly, when Carlos interrupted us.

"No."

Evie flipped around, her eyebrows knitting together. "No?"

Jay looked just as confused as Evie, looking Carlos up and down as he argued. "You guys are always going off in a huddle, whispering your 'girl talk' stuff, or whatever…" He took in a deep breath. "And Jay and I are tired of it."

"I'm not," Jay butt in.

Carlos glared at him before continuing. "We're your family, too. We've been through a _lot_. Together. We're not stopping that now, okay?"

He looked at me and I nodded sort of dumbly. I was exhausted, but for once, I was glad to be able to sit with all my friends and just put everything out on the table. I had wanted to get away from them for so long, but it didn't change the weight of the secrets I was carrying.

"Everybody sit," he demanded, now that he had my permission to carry on.

We slowly dropped to the ground in the middle of the field with him.

There was a hesitance as soon as we had settled onto the grass, no one sure where to start. I knew I'd have to speak eventually, but I couldn't fully grasp the words.

"I don't know how to start girl talk," he mumbled, looking at Jay for help.

Jay just shrugged. "What up?"

Evie giggled.

I cleared my throat. _Now or never, huh?_

"I'm a mess…" I started. "I'm _such _a mess. I mean," my voice broke, "six months ago, I was the scariest person in all of the Isle of the Lost, second only to my mother. And now everybody wants me to be this Lady of the Court and I have no idea how to keep up the act."

"Then don't," Carlos said, bluntly.

"See? This was dumb," Jay argued, trying to get up, but Evie stopped him.

"Maybe it wasn't… We're always gonna be the kids from the Isle. I tried to forget it. I really tried, but those are our roots." She grabbed my hand for support. "And we all did what we had to do to survive. But it made us who we are. And we're never going to be like anybody else here. And that's okay. That's okay."

"And we can't fake it," Carlos added.

"No," she agreed.

"I don't know if I deserve to leave it behind me." I glanced between them all, watching their faces shift. "After my mother died… I can't control my bursts of anger. My eyes flashing. When I did that with my mother, it was voluntary. A show of power. But here I do it when Jane asks me about Cotillion decorations or when a reporter pushes me just a little too far. And then, today… with Uma…"

"You react out of stress," Carlos argued. "So? Maybe your eyes flash and theirs don't, but they don't face half as much on a daily basis as you have this year. Get _angry_, Mal. Tell them to get off your back. Heal. You're bottling it all up right now, and then losing it when something pushes you over the edge."

I smiled softly. "I need to win the people's favor."

"Were you trying to win the people's favor when you wore that open-backed dress to Ben's coronation?" Jay shot back. "The people of Auradon like you because you're a fighter, Mal. Not because you stand next to Ben and wear different color dresses."

I wanted to say something back, but I couldn't come up with anything. So, I changed the subject, "There's something else, too."

"What is it?" Evie asked.

"I, uh… I've been having these dreams… Nightmares, really. About my mom. And Auradon."

She squeezed my hand and the boys pressed me to go on.

"I don't know what's happening really. Sometimes I'm running through a foggy darkness and there are cauldrons full of red apples. Other times I'm walking through the halls of an empty, destroyed Auradon Prep. There's always this whispering. It tells me to break the rules, listen to my mother, and other things like that?"

"They're just nightmares," Evie tried, but I shook my head.

"They're _repeating _nightmares. Last night on the Isle was the first time I was able to get some sleep without seeing one."

"Wait… they stopped on the Isle?" Jay asked.

I nodded. "Which means I must belong there. My brain is trying to tell me that I'm going to burst or act out here and I need to just-"

"You were under a spell," Jay interrupted.

Our eyes all snapped to his attention.

"_Spell?_" Evie sputtered.

"Yep," he responded, nonchalantly. "Gotta be a spell."

"It wore off on the Isle," Carlos pieced together. "Like my truth spell! Of course!"

"Where would it have come from?" I demanded.

"Your mom," Jay said, flatly. "Who else?"

"My mother's been dead for a year. This didn't start until a month ago."

"Perhaps it took some time to take effect," he explained to me. "Mal, you aren't evil. I _know _that. Carlos knows that. Evie knows that."

I thought back to my fight with my mother. All the way up until her death. She threw everything she had at me. Who's to say she hadn't embedded something in me? An unease for my surroundings? Perhaps a manipulation to go back to the Isle?

I felt frustrated that I was unable to stop myself from crying once more. "Ben doesn't seem to believe that anymore."

"Mal, if Ben doesn't love the real you, then he's not the one," Carlos concluded.

"I like that," Evie responded.

"Give him a chance."

I blinked at him. How was I supposed to give him a chance? I didn't even have time to process things myself.

"I'm going to make some changes to your dress," Evie informed me. "And if you're up for it- _only _if you're up for it- it will be waiting for you, okay?"

I tilted my head down slightly. It was the most I could do in the way of a nod. But Evie caught on and leaned over to hug me goodbye.

I shut my eyes, wanting to remember this moment. I loved them all so much. And even if I wasn't sure yet about what this evening would hold, I was certain that my friends would support me through everything.

They all got up, leaving me to consider everything. I don't think I could have stood at this point if I wanted to. I was exhausted.

After a moment, though, Jay returned to his spot on the grass.

I raised an eyebrow.

"Come to Cotillion tonight, all right?" he insisted. "If Ben isn't smart enough to love you, and you can't stand another day, we can grab our stuff and head back to the Isle together."

The corners of my mouth twitched. "Okay."

He gave me a brief pat on the shoulder and started to get up, but I stopped him.

"Wait, Jay? Can you… Can you help me get to the infirmary? I'm feeling really light-headed."

His face scrunched together, before he shouted, "Shit! Your leg!"

We both laughed as he helped me to my feet and spotted me back to the main building.


	12. Broken Children

I glanced around the hallways. Everytime I walked through this castle, my eyes ran over the intricate carvings and tapestries.

I felt immensely slower and it was driving me crazy. I was walking as fast as I could, but my calf stung and I would stumble over myself in my exhaustion. The minute I reached the door of Ben's office I took a deep breath, losing all the desperation I had to talk to him a minute ago.

I knocked, timidly.

"Just a minute," Ben called on the other side of the door.

"Ben? It's Mal." I did my best to project my voice so he could hear me through the door. "We really need to talk before Cotillion."

There was a bit of rustling behind the door, and then… silence. I could feel a small hiccup in my ribcage as I waited for him to say something. Anything.

"Do you want to cancel?" His voice shook.

We were both messes. Completely shattered children who were laying across the floor together, the adults throwing around our porcelain pieces. My mother had made the conscious decision to smash me across the floor the minute she had me. I was well aware of that. But I hadn't been paying enough attention to Ben.

His parents had also broken him. They'd leaned on him and leaned on him until he broke. And now they're looking at what's left of him and shaking their heads. Telling him to get back up and be a good king.

We were both broken. Irreparable shards underneath Auradon's feet. But at least, we could lay together.

A tear rolled over my cheekbone. "No, Ben. I don't want to cancel… Do you?"

More shuffling. I could feel a twist in my heart as I realized he wasn't going to answer me.

The doorknob squeaked as Ben opened the door.

"Hey," he mumbled.

He had been crying. We both had, obviously.

"Hey."

"How's your leg?"

I glanced down at it, forgetting for a moment that it was hurt. "Better… I've got a pretty bad limp, so I doubt I'll be much of a dancer tonight."

"That's fine." He breathed out the words, almost as if he couldn't believe I was here.

It took a moment for me to swallow the ache in my throat and get to the point.

"Ben, I'm… I'm so _so _sorry. And I know that sorry can't magically fix this situation, but it's a start."

He held up a hand, then nodded over his shoulder. "Come inside. Then, we can talk."

I stumbled around him, favoring my uninjured leg. As soon as he had shut the door, he ushered me into a chair.

"Mal, you can't put this on yourself. You aren't the only person at fault here-"

"Aren't I?" I demanded.

"_You aren't_," he insisted. "Because it wasn't just your responsibility to fit in… It was my responsibility to help you do that. And I didn't. I threw things at you and told you to come back as soon as you were perfect at them. That's not fair to you."

"I didn't just leave because I was overwhelmed… I was… terrified of myself. I could feel myself losing control. And then when I yelled at you… I exploded. And I realized that until I figured out what was going on with me, I was dangerous to be around."

He shrugged. "Well, did you figure it out?"

"I think so… Or at least, I'm sure I'm on the right track."

He was patient, knowing full well that I was struggling to talk about this.

"The only time I've talked about my mother this past year has been with my therapist. None of my friends will bring her up and if I do, they tend to shut down the conversation pretty quickly. I don't blame them. It's not an easy conversation to have, but I was starting to convince myself that if no one else wanted to talk about her… why should I?

"I wasn't able to admit this to myself before, but I think I am now. And that is, my mother didn't just abuse me. She didn't just burn my back and convince me that my only purpose in life was to serve her. She also passed something on to me. Her insanity."

Ben's eyes fixed themselves onto mine. "Mal? You _aren't _insane. I know you're not."

"No one knew my mother was insane, either," I shot back. "Until she started walking through kingdoms, cursing nobility and killing those in her way. Well, I'm on that track right now. My brain chemistry is off and I have anger management issues. I'm not saying this for… I don't know, attention? I'm saying it because my mother didn't get help. But I _can_."

He hesitated a moment, still not sure if he believed me, but he nodded, "So, we change treatment methods?"

"For now," I told him. "And now that that's done… Let's talk about your problems."

He startled. "_My_ problems?"

"Mhm," I mumbled. "Because I hate to break it to you, but most seventeen year olds don't come home after one of the craziest two days of their life and get to work on a ball that night. This isn't healthy, Ben. And I'll admit that what happened at the pavillion was my fault, but you kinda freaked out. You never get mad like that."

"I guess," he rubbed his face, tiredly, "I've been a bit stressed lately."

"Wow," I said, sarcastically. "I had no clue."

He shot me a look, but it wasn't one of anger. More of pleading. He didn't want me to press him on this… but press I must.

"Ben?" My voice was as soft as I could make it. "Why were you crowned king at sixteen?"

He wouldn't meet my eyes. I stood and walked up to him, pulling his hands into my own.

"_Mal_."

I almost couldn't hear him.

I pressed his forehead against my own.

"Yes, Ben?"

"My father's dying."

His voice cracked slightly as he spoke the words aloud. I had to wonder if this was the first time telling someone. My therapist had told me that one of the hardest parts about recovering from trauma was being able to admit your trauma out loud.

"Why wasn't your mom next in line for the throne?"

I could feel his breath flutter against my cheeks as he said, "Same reason Lonnie can't be on the Tourney team… We follow the rules here in Auradon."

"It's bullshit," I grumbled. "No kid should have to deal with all that you deal with."

He pulled away from my face, slightly, just so that he could meet my eyes.

"I guess we're both pretty fucked up, huh?"

It was such a _not _Ben thing to say, and yet, right here, with tears in our eyes, bruised and dirty faces, and the requirement that we show up to a ball that night looking as though we've done nothing all day but get ready… it felt as though we'd never been more true to ourselves.


	13. Change the World

The sound of my breathing was deafening in the ship's hallways. I found myself so distracted that I almost walked right onto the deck.

Lumiere caught my eye as I flailed to stop myself. I quickly regained my composure and signalled to him that I was ready.

As the trumpets played I ran my fingers through my bangs to get them out of my face.

"The future Lady Mal!" Lumiere announced to the crowd.

I let out a giant breath as everyone began their clapping. Here it was. _My big day_, as Carlos had called it.

I stepped out into the open, then turned to face my audience. A few small gasps could be heard as they got a good look at me. Just like last time, Evie made a statement with my outfit. She had taken off the front of the skirt, so that it started around my knees and just brushed my ankles in the back. That was already a push against the traditionalism I was supposed to be presenting. Then, she had insisted that all four of us VKs wear fingerless gloves, a popular item on the Isle.

"_We're a united front," she had explained. "I want everyone to know that if you mess with one of us, you mess with all of us."_

I stumbled forward, trying not to make my injury obvious, but I was certain that most of the crowd could tell that _something _was wrong. And no doubt at some point during the night, my dress would shift enough for people to notice the bandaging.

When I paused, overlooking the steps and dreading my voyage down, Lumiere leaned over and whispered in his thick french accent, "You work it, girl."

I laughed, glad to see someone in the kingdom didn't hate me.

I caught Evie's eye. She was standing in the front, next to Doug. Her hands were covering her mouth and I wondered if she was admiring her work on my dress, my hair, my makeup, or if she was just shocked to see that I showed up. But she was happy. And I, in turn, felt a flood of relief.

I made my way down the stairs as more cheers broke out. The heels caused shooting pains through my calf, but I made it all the way down with a smile still plastered on my face.

Perhaps the Beast could sense my discomfort, or maybe he was just being polite, but he met me on the last few steps and offered out an arm to help me down.

"Hi," I breathed out. The rest of the Cotillion had settled and was once more distracted by previous activities.

"Hi," he greeted.

Belle joined us, fidgeting next to her husband.

"Ben is on his way," the Beast promised. "And you look… beautiful."

His hesitation left me uneasy. I still wasn't on great terms with either of Ben's parents. "Oh," I murmured, halfheartedly. "Thank you."

"I know we were shocked at first," Belle cut it, "but you- you are exactly what Ben needs."

I blinked in sudden realization. _They were being serious_. The both of them.

"I- uh-" A smile tugged at my lips, but it was uneasy.

"Ben told us that he had a talk with you," she explained, although it didn't do much to help my understanding. "About his… situation. I don't think he's ever been stronger or happier than he is when he's with you. We were worried about his transition into becoming a king. But now that he has you, I think we're in good hands."

"I, um… Thank you," I said, flustered.

Their attention was drawn to Evie who stood behind me, patiently waiting for my attention.

"Of course." The Beast gestured for me to go with her.

"_Hi_," we said at the same time, giggling.

She took me by the arm and led me back to the rest of our group. "How are you?"

I sighed. "I sorta feel like I'm gonna throw up?"

"Yeah? Okay. That's okay."

I nodded, turning towards the steps as the fanfare played once more.

"King Benjamin!" Lumiere announced.

Ben strode out, with his usual calm smile. Evie and I cheered with the crowd as he made his way toward the edge of the steps and watched the crowd bow before him.

"Go get him," Evie smirked, leaning into me.

We met at the bottom of the stairs, bowing/curtseying for one another. As my back straightened, he reached for my hands and looked me over, concerned.

"Your leg?" he asked.

"I told you, it's fine," I reassured him.

"I hope so… I have something for you."

I raised an eyebrow, watching him reach for one of his suit pockets and pull out his class ring. My breath hitched, having completely forgotten about it.

"You don't have to take it, if you don't want to. But it will always be here for you."

I nodded. "I want it."

He smiled, and slid it on, up to my fingerless glove. Since it wouldn't fit over the leather, it sat loosely around my knuckle, but I was positive that it wouldn't fall off anytime soon. It was too precious.

He looked up, addressing the group around us. "I owe you guys so much."

"Yeah," Evie joked.

"You got that right." Carlos patted him on the back with a smirk lighting his face.

The rest of the crowd laughed along, although I doubt they had any clue what had happened to Ben today. "So, if there is anything that you need, or anything I can do for you-"

"Um, actually," Evie started beside me. "There is, Ben… I know a girl who would really love to come to Auradon. It's Drizella's daughter, Dizzy Tremaine. She lost her mother when she was young and since then, she's been like a little sister to me."

"Then, she should come," Ben said, quickly.

I could see how excited he was with the proposition. Seeing the Isle had only increased his desire to help the kids who were still there. Evie was offering him a place to start.

"Okay." Evie giggled, but it sounded like she was trying to mask tears. "Okay, great."

Ben leaned in and stage whispered, "She's a good guy, right?"

"Dizzy? The best," I confirmed.

"Actually! Um…" Evie cut in once more, then backed off as all eyes turned back on her. "Ben, there's a lot of kids who would really love it here in Auradon. Kids just like us who also deserve a second chance. Can I maybe get you a list?"

Ben's smile grew "Yes, yes! Absolutely!... please."

Cheers erupted around the ship at the proposition. He waited for them to quiet down before continuing.

"And seeing as I have everyone's attention, Lumiere, if you please."

Lumiere quickly found his spot atop the staircase. "And now, for the unveiling of King Ben's masterpiece, designed especially for _his lady_."

All eyes drifted to the other end of the ship, where a large rectangle, which had been covered previously, revealed a stain glass window depicting the two of us. We stood in front of a sunny sky, atop a green field. Ben was knelt beside me, holding my hand as if to guide me over the grass.

My eyes were drawn to a couple of features. The dress resembled the one I had worn to his Coronation, although not completely the same, but my shoulders were out in the open, and the glass was a pink color around them, indicating the scars that were there. My hair was dark purple, much like it had been when he met me, although I was certain that when he began this, I had already dyed it blonde. I wore fingerless gloves, like I would have on the Isle, but atop my head was a replica of the Queen's crown. And my eyes were bright green, much like they would be if I were angry or upset.

I gasped, unable to pull my eyes from the piece. "You made that?" I whispered.

He chuckled. "Yeah. I mean, I designed at least. Do you like it?"

"Yes." My voice came out almost like a sigh. "Ben, it's beautiful. It's… It's me."

"Of course it is," he exclaimed. "Who else would it be?"

I laughed. "No! I mean… that's me up there. That's the real me. I'm half-Isle and half-Auradon. And you captured it perfectly."

He shrugged. "Well, you'd think after all this time I'd know the real you."

I pulled him in for a kiss.

"I love you," I admitted. Not just to him, but to myself.

And finally, we both knew it was true.

* * *

After whisking me away for a few dances, Ben went to speak with Evie about her plans for bringing these new kids to Auradon. I had a feeling she was soon going to have a lot more on her plate than just sewing dresses.

I was sitting beside Carlos and Jane, listening to him explain our adventures from the past few days to her, when Jay approached.

"May I have this dance, m'lady?" He teased, offering a hand to me.

"Of course."

I followed him to the center of the ship and let him lead me through a slow dance.

"You always put your hair in a bun for big events. For once, I want to see it in a ponytail."

He glared at me. "Not gonna happen."

"Please!"

"No way."

I stuck my tongue out.

I felt grateful. _So _grateful. To have these moments with Jay. To have a family like Ben and Evie and Carlos. To be free.

"So…" he started, softly. "I take it this means we aren't packing our bags and stealing a limo?"

I grinned. "As fun as that sounds, I think we can stay. For at least a little longer."

He returned my smile. "Good. I was kinda worried how it would look to Ben if I ran off with his girlfriend."

"Nah. Evie and Carlos would quickly explain how incompatible we are."

"Then, they'd all run to the Isle to beat our asses."

Our laughter blanketed the deck of the ship.

As one song ended and another began, we slid away from the dance floor and toward the railing of the boat. It was gorgeous, looking over the water. The moon, in the distance, left a glowing reflection on the surface.

"I hear you gave up your seat as captain of the Tourney team," I said, breaking the silence once more.

"The traditionalism here is bullshit. The fact that I have to go through roundabout ways to get one of our most athletic students onto the Tourney team is bullshit. But Lonnie deserves it."

I glanced past him, towards the Isle. "That's why so many of the people over there are… criminals. Maybe they're right."

He shrugged. "We're here to change that, aren't we? That's why Ben's king-"

"No," I grumbled. "Ben being king is on that list of bullshit."

Jay hesitated, sensing my shift in mood. "You wanna talk about it?"

"Can't," I said through gritted teeth.

"Fair enough," he responded. "Do you want to talk about something else, then?"

I paused. "I don't know. I just wish I could be… better, you know?"

He put his arm around me, pulling me in close. "The fact that you had to go through everything you did sucks, Mal. And we're all recovering from our trauma. Carlos is going to go to therapy, Evie is trying to lose some of her perfectionism, and me… I'm dealing with my shit."

"You mean, your toxic masculinity? Or your impulsive stealing?" It was a joke. We had all talked the past year. I knew that certain things were sensitive to Jay, but I didn't expect him to pull away as I said that.

He leaned over the railing, dropping eye contact with me. "Or the fact that I'm gay?"

My whole chest tightened. _Oh my god…_ "Yeah," I wheezed. "That'll fuck you up real bad… Coming from your family."

He rubbed a hand over his face. "I was so scared that I would see my father again when we went back to the Isle. He just… he wouldn't be happy with the guy I've become."

"Who cares! All our parents' were abusive assholes!" I cried, but he didn't seem convinced. Finally, I reached out and grabbed one of his hands. "Did your dad know?"

"I think he suspected," Jay admitted. "But I didn't even know. Not until I was away from his lectures and expectations. I mean, Carlos just kept asking me why I wasn't going out with any girls and I… I started thinking about it… But I- No, it's-" he groaned, frustrated.

"Hey, you don't have to explain yourself to me," I said, repeating what I had told Carlos only a few days ago. "Do you think that I care?"

"No…" he said, slowly. "But my father grew up in a traditional society. Just like Auradon. That's where he got his beliefs and ideals from. A place just like this… That's one of the reasons I was so ready to leave with you. The Isle sucks, but at least everyone there stopped caring about things like sexuality a long time ago. They've got more pressing issues on their mind."

I shrugged. "Yeah, well, so do we. I'm not going to tell you how to handle this, Jay. But, you know… maybe the people here will surprise you."

He finally made eye contact with me again. "What a pair of family disappointments we are."

I giggled. "I like to think more along the lines of we're learning from the past generation's mistakes."

"Sure," he agreed. "We can go with that."

Suddenly, Evie had arrived, throwing her arms around us. "We're going to change the world!" she shrieked, excitedly. Carlos followed along behind her.

"What's up with you?" I snickered, watching her jump around.

"Ben has official named me 'Counselor of the VK Initiative'. We'll start in small batches, grabbing kids of all different ages. The teens will go straight to Auradon Prep and some of the younger kids will be given homes elsewhere. I've already offered to take in anyone who needs a home as soon as I get a place of my own." She sighed, finally coming down off her excited high and looking out to the tiny island we used to call home. "Isn't it wonderful? We'll only take the kids who want to go and we'll propose visiting days for those who still want to see their families. We'll have to be selective at first, but soon enough, these kids will have a second chance! They'll be able to see how beautiful and kind Auradon really is."

"And we'll see to it that it stays that way," a new voice joined in. Ben wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "So… first four kids. Who do we pick?"

"Dizzy!" Evie started.

"How about Facilier's daughter?" Carlos asked. "She's sly, but then again, so was Jay," he jabbed at his friend. "She's pretty open minded. I think she could really use a change of scene and society."

"And Uma," I muttered, glancing at Ben. The whole group went silent, shocked to hear me suggest such a thing, but I was dead serious. "She deserves it. It's all she's ever wanted and all that she's been working towards."

Ben nodded. "That's what we talked about… when she had me trapped on the Isle, I told her that I was going to do everything I could to get those kids over. And I thought… I thought she could help."

"She can," Jay agreed. "She's brilliant. But, um… maybe put extra guards on the wand for the first week she's here."

We all chuckled. "Definitely. Until the kids are settled in, we need to keep an eye on them," I reasoned.

"A better eye than you kept on us," Carlos clarified. "We 100% could have broken the barrier if we wanted to."

"Yeah, no offense Ben, but we were pretty sly when we first got here," Evie joined. "You have no clue how much mischief we got up to."

"Fair enough, but in my defense, I kinda saved the day, didn't I?" He joked. "You didn't take over Auradon all because Mal fell for my charm."

I stuck out my tongue. "And I'd do it all again."

"Even putting a spell on me?" he questioned.

I considered it for a minute. "Hm… I mean, what can I say? I am evil."

"The new 'Mistress of All Evil'," Evie corrected.

Carlos shook his head. "Nope. As a Lady of the Court, I dub thee: 'Lady Mal, soon to be, Queen of All Evil'."

"Hey," Ben interrupted. "She'll be the Queen of everything. Not just the evil."

"I'm not a Queen!" I argued.

"Not yet," Jay corrected. "How about we stick with: 'Lady Mal, Defender of Auradon'."

Evie quickly agreed. "It's perfect."

"Well then," Ben announced, "To Lady Mal, Defender of Auradon!"

"Defender of Auradon!" they all cheered.


End file.
